


Broken Bones

by amazingdestielisnotonfire



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alastair Being an Asshole, Castiel Has Panic Attacks, Castiel is just Gabriel's brother but he loves his family so he's always there to support him, Doctor Dean, Doctor Sam, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Insane Alastair, M/M, Medical Patient Gabriel, Mild Smut, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-14 21:19:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 39,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3425951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amazingdestielisnotonfire/pseuds/amazingdestielisnotonfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small accident leads a Kansan doctor and his brother to find the two people they needed to most at the least expected place with strictly fighting surgery patients and overprotective brothers, but it's all because of family love... Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Patient: Gabriel Novak

 *180 days before*

 

Sam Winchester, state-famous surgeon, 6''5 brunette male who's doctor nickname, mostly with the nurses, was "Moose", was sitting at his computer, in his luxurious home in Lawrence, Kansas, at 8 a.m., because he was a very calm man. He had lots of friends, he loved getting together with his family, and he loved living with his brother.

Ah, his brother. Dean Winchester, also state-famous surgeon, 6''3 dark-blond male who didn't _have_ a doctor name, but was equally loved by the nurses for his charm and flirtacious grins. He was still sleeping in his bedroom, just down the hallway of Sam's study. They owned their own mansion-like home, splitting the rent and expenses with their generously-paying job. They loved their life, they had no reason not to.

Except, you know, the fact that their life as doctors got about as dramatic as Grey's fucking Anatomy.

Starting off their day, Dean woke up at nine o' clock, going from bedhead to a shower and straight to a uniform, walking into his brother's study to see him already dressed and waiting for him.

"What time do we have to be at the hospital today?" Dean asked, smoothing out a small wrinkle on the thigh of his scrubbs.

"In thirty minutes. Are you ready, Sleeping Beauty?" Sam said with a snarky smile and small flip of his shoulder-length hair as he looked up from his computer screen as it turned blue, and he was beginning to shut it down so he could leave.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Tarzan." Dean responded with the same amount of snark and turned to walk out their front door. He took his leather jacket off of it's hook next to the front door, slipping his front keys out of it's pocket and opening the large wooden door and breathing in the Wednesday morning scent of the mid-Autumn season. Sam followed him down the path of their home, down the cement stairs and into his Challenger. The engine roared to life at the same time his favorite song started on the radio, but who could hear it over the sound of Dean's car, a nice '67 Impala, to which he named "Baby".

Dean never admitted it, but he always raced Sam to the hospital, as foolish as it was and how ironic it was to their job and safety training. He gave Sam the same smile when he shit his car door after parking it first, after getting into the parking lot first, and after getting to the hospital first, because of the stop signs his gave only half the attention he was supposed to.

"Hello, Dr. Winchester."

"Hello, Dr. WInchester."

Funny how the two nurses were both talking to different brothers. Sam and Dean simply nodded a hello to them and continued walking to the front desk where they depositted their jackets and keys and belongings. Dean got to the front desk Sweetie first, who was quite possibly one of the happiest ladies he's seen to work here.

"Charlie," He acknowledged her while taking the chart from next to her computer mouse, looking it over and observing the names, conditions, but mostly trying to see who needed a more drastic surgery so he could take care of it before Sam could even find out their first name.

"Dr. Winchester, you're here early." She said. Charlene Bradbury, a 23-year-old female with lightning-red wavy hair and a beautiful smile, and lightly pale-pink skin. She didn't accept it being true, to save her her own dignity (though she wanted people to notice) but she added the lightest layer of red lipstick to her thin lips, which dug into her cheeks whenever she showed that heartwarming smile to anyone willing to flip their mood into rainbows and movie-night feelings. Charlie could make anyone happy.

"Wanted to check out those patients as soon as I could, you know me."

"Persistent as always, everyone who know's your name knows you." She responded, giving a sample of her smile his way. He returned the gesture, flashing his candy apple green eyes her way before picking up a pen from the black Darth Vader head shaped cup next to Charlie's computer and signing his name next to the most interesting patient name on the clipboard.

"People today just don't seem to be getting maimed enough, do they?" Dean said.

"Dr. Winchester, I don't think..." Charlie looked down at the patient's name which he signed to take over. "Mr. Novak's brother would appreciate you wishing he would have broken something other than his leg."

"Broken?" Dean huffed. "I wouldn't consider this broken, we may have to amputate this poor man's leg, being trapped under, what was it, a twenty...no, thirty pound chest? For three hours?"

"Seems so. His brother was out and came back to find him passed out from the pain and his leg totally a different color. Rushed him here immediately."

"I better go see him. Pleaes inform Dr. Winchester of my whereabouts as he tends to stick his nose into business in which is _not_ his." Dean made it sound as formal as possible, because saying sassy things in formal ways made Charlie giggle, and her laugh could bring a depressed man to sunshine.

Dean checked the room number and made his way to patient Gabriel Novak's room. The television could be heard through the door if close enough, which was the way Dean knew his star patient was awake. He knocked first, and a voice welcomed him inside. Dean walked inside to see a dirty-blond man laying on the hospital bed with a bandage around his left leg.

"Mr. Novak?" Dean addressed himself as he peeked his head into the room.

"Yeah?" A 30-something-ish man spoke from the bed, reaching for the TV remote to mute his show.

"Goodmorning, Mr. Novak, my name is Dean but ou may call me Dr. Winchester and I'll be taking over for your injuries."

"What time does visiting start?" The patient asked.

"Ten-thirty." Dean responded. His patient nodded a simple uderstanding and looked down at his leg. "Would you be comfortable if were to call you by your first name?"

The patient cracked a smile. "Gabriel. They call me Gabriel."

Dean smiled back and set the chart at the foot of the hospital bed. "Do you mind?" Dean's hand hovered over Gabriel's broken leg, wanting to look over it. Gabriel hesitated to say yes.

"Sure." He said. "But, you know, go easy on it. The guys that put the bandage on probably wanted to hear me scream. They weren't even hot, either."

Dean gave him props for being able to crack a joke about openly being attracted to men with a broken leg. He smiled and reassured him that he would be gentle.

"I can already feel it's out of place." Dean gently felt a bone at a wrangled angle. "I'm going to put a small amount of pressure to the skin."

"Uh-oh, why?" Gabriel asked, already grabbing the sheets draped over his lap because he knew this would hurt.

"I can't tell if the magles bone is stretching the skin of it there's swelling, which I wouldn't be surprised, but your leg should not be this oversized." Dean pushed down on the leg with the tips of his fingers. Gabriel clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes as a great deal of pressure formed on his leg.

"What's the news?" Gabriel asked.

"Well, the swelling began almost immediately, it's not exactly a good thing, but its better than it cutting off the bloowflow totally."

"In a not-doctor-fancy way, what's gonna happen to me?"

"Don't worry, its nothing mayjor. I can tell you the options now, but I cannot guarntee they will all be available. Cast plaster doesn't grow on trees." Dean said. Gabriel nodded in uderstanding again and lightly rubbed his leg while Dean wrote on his chart.

"So," Gabriel spoke. "You got family, Doctor?"

Dean chuckled. "Yes, my brother works here also, his name's Sam, same last name as me. He's pretty tall. My father and mother are still both living happily in the home I grew up in."

"Sounds nice." Gabriel said, and Dean smiled.

"What about you? I've heard you have a brother?"

"Yeah, little dude brought me here, bless him. We were moving his stuff into my house and one of the legs to his chest--ironic, right?--broke and the whole thing landed on me. I tried to jump back but gravity won that round and it landed on my leg. This thing is freaking huge, alright? I don't even know how my twig of a brother could get it into the rental truck, but its whatever. He was getting duct tape from Home Depot and came back I don't even know when, but next thing I know, I'm in the E.R."

"Always remember, coulda been worse." Dean said.

"True that."

"So what's your brother's name?" Dean was just about done filling out his chart. He liked to be thourough with them. He hatedd people stealing his patients.

"Castiel, he thinks its a girl's name, mostly because we call him Cas. S' not as bad as our cousin calling him Cassie." Gabriel laughed, and Dean liked how much Gabriel loved talking about his family, how much he loved them.

"And he's moving in with you? How old is he?"

"Well he's got this new job about a mile from my place, and it was almost three hours from where he used to live, I'm actually pretty happy to get him out of that piece of shit apartment in Witchita." Gabriel paused when he finished and looked like he was in trouble. "I'm allowed to curse, right?"

Dean laughed. "You're much of an adult. If you own your own home and pay taxes every year, I'm very sure you're allowed to curse."

Gabriel smiled. "Do you know what time it is?"

Dean smily looked at his watch. "Ten-fifteen."

"You know when they start serving breakfast?"

"Same time visitors are allowed to come." Dean smile, and Gabriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I hope he isn't worried." He mumbled.

"He should know you'll be fine, it's only a broken leg."

Gabriel laughed hysterically. "You don't know Castiel. He loved the crap outta us, and though that's a good thing, it gets obnoxious. He just really loved everyone he knows, and he gets super attached. If you met him you'd think he was a puppy, and I seriously wish I was joking."

Dean laughed. "If you say so."


	2. Our Options

*179 days before*

 

The dark haired nurse addressed herself to Dean as if she was an old hookup that he enjoyed and flirted with every day.

When really she was literally just a nurse that wanted his dick. But joked on her and all the other females, because the nurses should know Dean was openly bisexual and actually likes men better, but since he still samples from bothe Gender Jars, considers himself bisexual.

But he was still nice. "Good morning Ms. Braeden." Dean said, giving her a friendly smile. He was on his wat back to Gabriel Novak's room, it was an hour after breakfast and he was actually looking forward to see his brother Castiel. If he was as nice as Gabriel said he was, then Dean thought he'd make a great friend.

He knocked on the door before entering. "Mr. Novak, it's me."

"You can come in."

The voice was unfarmiliar, and deep. Dean stepped in to search for the owner of the new voice, and saw a man sitting next to Gabriel's bed with a dark purple button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black jeans, a small stubble on his chin from shaving neglect and messy, thick black hair that went well with his slightly tanned skin. Stunning blue eyes looked at Dean and a soft smile crept on his face, stretching his pink lips widely.

This man was _handsome_ , according to Dean's thoughts.

No, this guy was _ridiculously_ handsome.

"Dr. Winchester? My brother has told me much about you." Castiel circled around the bed to shake Dean's hand. "Not anything bad, he's mostly said what a great doctor you are, and that you seem very-"

"Cas," Gabriel spoke, and Cas turned around to look at his _"shut up you're babbling"_ face. "I've mostly just said you're pretty chill, I'm just glad you're not some stuck-up doctor who never fucking smile." Gabriel laughed and Dean just smiled, looking back at Cas to see him smiling too and looking between his brother and Dean.

"At least my rating is high." Dean said. He closed the door and walked further into the room and saw Cas sit back in his chair next to the bed. Dean picked up the chart from the foot of the bed and clicked the pen, looking out the corner of his eye at Castiel. He couldn't help where his eyes travelled, but he licked his suddenly dry lips and cleared his throat.

"Mr. Novak, have you thought about what plan you would prefer to handle the leg?"

"Plan?"

"We have three available options. Firstly: we start off with bringing down the swelling with a leech method, which is a simple five-hour move where we place maybe two, three, or four leeches on your leg depending on the size, and they will bring the swelling down much easier than you think--yes we know its gross." Dean said after Cas made a face at the word "leeches". He thought it was pretty cute actually. "Then we bring you into surgery and start on your leg, repairing your bone the best we can to get it into it's original form, close you up, and you get a cast for seven to eight months."

"Seems simple enough." Gabriel said.

"Second option: we do the same thing with the swelling, but instead of surgery we give you a simple cast and hope it repairs by itself over a time of nine months or less. It seems simpler, but it can be more risky, because if there is a charred bone in there that we don't take care of with surgery, it could ger infected and we would have to get rid of the leg knee-down completely."

"I don't uh... like that one all too well. What's the last one?"

Dean made a face. "Basically the last one is where we don't try to fix it, we just amputate the leg from the knee and we give you a metal replacement."

Silence. And Gabriel started thinking, because all the options seemed to work--well, except the second one--but with one, it seemed expensive, and the last would only cost him a leg. Dean looked from Gabriel to Castiel, and, because his mind and eyes worked together, he noticed that there was an absense of a ring on his finger. Dean has no intention of trying to start a relationship with his patient's brother, that would be just as unprofessional as starting a relationship with his patient himself.

"What's the price game?" Gabriel said causiously.

"The first option..." Dean thought. "One hundred-thousand dollars, if not more."

Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath, it sounding like a hiss, and he laughed lightly to try and lighten the mood. He wasn't a bankrupt person, but he wasn't a millionaire either. He worked for Sprint, but it was just Sprint, and Castiel didn't start _his_ job at the police station until the week after, and even then Gabriel wouldn't ask him for money.

"The other?" Gabriel asked.

"Well, it still requires surgery and then we have the fit a stainless steel replacement, so... Possibly between fifty thousand and seventy thousand." Dean said. Cas let out a sigh and Dean actually felt bad, but having dealt with cases similar to "127 Hours" he's had to give this speech before.

"Uh..." Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck. "What about the second option?"

"It could be dangerous." Castiel spoke.

"Forty thousand dollars, with the period of time it takes to actually repair your leg if no infection takes place." Dean said.

"What's the chance of me getting an infection with this option?" Gabriel asked, and Dean tried not to think of how cute the frustration on Castiel's face looked. He looked back to Gabriel and thought about the amount of people who chose the cheepest option.

"Four out of ten people who choose it get a reaction, but the other six would turn out just fine." Dean said, looking back at Castiel who was thinking as well, probably about what he would say to protest if Gabriel decided on that option.

"I can give you time to think." Dean spoke.

"No need," Gabriel said, and he looked over at Cas who was giving him a _"don't choose it don't do it nonono"_. "I'll do it."

"Dude!" Castiel exclaimed, and it took everything inside of Dean to remain professional and not start laughing. "Imagine being one of those four people, if you choose it something could go wrong, and choosing the cheapest option wouldn't matter then. Gabriel I want you to be safe, but if you get a blood infection..." Cas took a deep breath and then bent his head down and rested his forehead in his palms.

"Cas, come on, I work for _Sprint_ , quite possibly the shittiest but most popular company here, and I get that kind of payment a year before taxes, and now I gotta pay it up front. I can't afford too much, Cas, understand that." Gabriel groaned. Dean actually felt bad, and he wished he could help, but the amount of unprofessional-ness that was, couldn't be accepted in the hospital.

"I really do think you two should talk about it." Dean said.

"No need, really, doctor, ignore my brother. I want this option." Gabriel said, and Dean looked at him and Castiel, watching as Cas crossed his arms and tried not to look at his brother. Dean raised his eyebrows at him before marking a single thing on his chart.

"Are you positive?"

The pause Gabriel took made Dean question if he was making the choice _he_ thought was right, and not just going by money, but as his doctor, he could not judge him.

"Yeah. I am." Gabriel didn't look at him when he said it. He only looked at the foot of the bed, but not at Dean's face or even the chart as Dean scribbled the information onto it and set it down, clicking the pen and silently leaving, the click of plastic seeming much louder than it probably was in the quiet room.

 


	3. Hospital Food

 

"Charlie," Dean approached the front counter as the perky redhead looked up from her work. "I need you to schedule a time for Mr. Novak's leeching."

Charlie hated leeches, absolutely despised them, and she also hated maggots. Two things that made her cringe like crazy.

"Geez, he chose leeching," Charlie made a face and shivered. "We could do it two days from now, at eleven a.m. and end at four."

"Thank you, I'll go tell him." Dean drummed on the counter as he turned around, and he looked at his watch. Only ten more minutes until twelve-thirty, then he could break for lunch. Every morning he skipped breakfast, wasn't proud of it, he just didn't have a lot of time in the mornings.

Only three feet away from Gabriel's door and he could hear shouting. Dean opened and closed the door quickly to hush whoever was shouting.

"Castiel," Dean said, his voice a hushed whisper. "Please, keep your voice down, you're in a hospital."

Cas looked scared and ashamed, and his face gave enough apology. Dean sighed, _you made the cute boy sad._

 _Wait stop he's not cute, shut up Dean_.

"There are other patients who may have just gotten out of surgery. I'm only asking that you keep your voice down." Dean said, and Cas looked guiltily at the floor.

"I'm sorry..." Cas said, his voice was weaker than it was earlier. "I-I'm so sorry." He darted out of the room, letting the door slowly close behind him. Dean looked from the door to Gabriel, wanting to ask what happened but figured it'd be rude.

"i told you," Gabriel spoke, his voice low. "He just really cares about me, and our family is... We're going through some shit right now, and him being the youngest, it's really taking a toll on him."

"I'm sorry, but my job is to keep things in order, I just hope no patients heard or were disturbed. Please don't let it happen again." Dean said. He said goodbye to Gabriel and hoped Castiel hadn't run far, but there was no reason to worry.

Dean walked down the hallway, past four other rooms, where Cas was sitting on the bench. He looked stressed, he was bent over with his head in his hands. Dean sat down next to him and Cas looked up to see who it was. There were noticable tear stains streaked down his cheeks. It made Dean sad just to look at.

"Castiel, buddy," _buddy, really Dean?_ "I know you care about your brother. I've got a brother of my own that I don't know even know what I'd do without. Family is just something that can tear you down and fix you up again. But what you're doing to yourself, you're dong that all by yourself. You _have_ to stop worrying, it's gonna kill you."

"I know." Cas sighed. "I know, I know, I just..."

"It's fine, I'm not asking for an explaination, I'm just trying to help you. You and your brother."

"It's more than just Gabriel's accident, there's a lot going on and It's too much to... To fucking handle. You seem like a great person, but I just... I care too much, I worry too much. And I'm really sorry, for how I'm acting. I'm just a little out of it." He smiled, just barely, but Dean saw.

"Don't worry, when I'm in charge, everything's gonna be fine." Dean put a friendly hand on his shoulder, feeling his muscles tense under his fingers. Dean cleared his throat and stood up, looking down at Castiel's recovering eyes. "How about I buy you lunch downstairs? Trust me, hospital food is not as bad as they tell you." _Crack a joke so it doesn't seem like you asked him out._

But Cas smiled. "Thank you, I'd love to."

Dean's heart pumped faster when he accepted, and he smiled as Cas got up and they continued down the hallway. They stopped at the front counter and Dean took off his jacket (or as he called it his "white doctor robe") and hung it on a hook in a small locker-like cabinet behind Charlie's chair. She was sitting behind the computer with McDonalds chicken nuggets next to her and an intense game of chess on the computer screen.

"Enjoy your lunch, Charlie." Dean said. Charlie didn't look away from the screen but responded with a, "you too."

"I don't like to get my jacket dirty." Dean said, and Cas nodded in understanding.

"So, what's it like to be a doctor?" Cas asked. Dean reached over and pressed the elevator button to go down and smiled when he heard the question.

"Ever seen Grey's Anatomy?" Dean said.

Cas, to Dean's amusment, blushed. "Yes."

"Well, here, it's like that. Things get dramatic."

"Do you have a McDreamy?" Cas giggled.

"It's my brother, obviously." Dean laughed and stepped inside the arriving elevator, and the three people inside walked out together. Once Cas was inside he pressed the button to go down to the main floor.

"i wouldn't be surprised if you were McSteamy." Cas said. Dean's heard beat even faster, he could hear it beat against his ribs and he feared Cas might hear it.

"Actually, our McSteamy is one of my friends, and his name is Adam, you may meet him as Dr. Milligan, and specializes in brain surgery mostly, he's a head doctor or whatever."

"Really? That's surprising." Cas said. The elevator engulfed in silence, and Dean decided to fill it with another question once they were on the ground level.

"Did you really tink of me as a McSteamy?"

Castiel's face went red again. _Christ why is he so adorable._ "Well.. I mean, you _are_ kinda...Uh...It would be a little weird to call my brother's doctor... _Attractive._ "

Dean choked, having sucked in a sharp breath when he heard that deep, raspy voice call him _attractive_. He started coughing, and Cas held his shoulders, asking if he was alright.

"I'm sorry, I-" Cas stopped and waited for Dean to stop coughing. Dean took a deep breath, and smiled reassuringly to him with a thumbs-up.

"I'm fine. Sorry." Dean patted his chest and sighed, looking over at a frightened Castiel.

"Sorry." Cas whispered.

"Don't be sorry." Dean said. "Come on, the café's down this way." He lead them both down past a few more doors, and they turned a corner to see at the end of the corridor the two large cafeteria doors.

"I apologize if I made things awkward. I just couldn't think of the right words." Cas said shyly.

"You didn't, don't worry. But really, I'm flattered, and to be honest-"

"I know I made a dumb move, I don't even know why I tried, thinking you'd actually be attracted to men, the doctors are never-"

"Cas," Dean put his hands up, and Castiel's mouth shut immediately. "Why are you always so shy? Trust me, you can say anything. Once I took that jacket off I immediately stopped being Gabe's doctor. Just take a deep breath."

Cas nodded, and exhaled the breath he had been holding. He smiled, and followed Dean inside the cafeteria. It had white and black checkered tiles with white walls, a basic hospital café, with white circular tables, a black ring-shaped bench around them. Behind an arch in the wall apposite from them was the kitchen with racks and counter tops with the day's lunch options stocked on them.

"And for the record, I'm bisexual. I could tell you were curious." Dean said, and Cas looked surprised, yet happy. _Yeah, happy._

Dean got a piece of pecan pie, his favorite, a bag of Doritos, some Fanta, and a bottle of chocolate milk for later. He bought Cas the things he chose: a bottle of apple juice, a burger, a bag of Cheetos, and two donuts, one glazed and one chocolate.

"Gabriel loves chocolate. I wanted to bring him one." Cas said when they were sitting at the table near the back of the cafeteria, next to a big window that overlooked a marble stone cherub fountain in the middle of a garden. "Are you sure I don't have to pay you back?" Cas asked.

"I promise. _I_ invited _you_ to lunch."

"For some odd reason it feels like a date." Cas mumbled with a shy smile on his face.

"Trust me, if I wanted to take you on a date then I wouldn't take you to a hospital cafeteria for lunch. I'm a decent guy." Dean took a bite of his pie and Cas giggled. Dean loved the sound of his giggle, and he tried to play it cool even though his heart was pounding against his ribs. Cas actually _smiled_ at the thought of being on a date with him though.

"I could always give you my number and you could confirm that." Castiel's eyes were glowing, Dean couldn't stop staring at them.

"You're definitely getting more outgoing, aren't you?" He said.

"You told me not to be shy...It's one of my disadvantaging traits. But you're my brother's doctor, I trust you." He said.

"I'm glad you trust me, just be yourself around me, It would be great to get to know you." Dean leaned closer to him, resting his elbows on the tables and looking at the blue-eyed man sitting across from him.

"There's not much to know honestly." Cas sighed.

"That phrase right there, it was never a favorite of mine." Dean said, catching Castiel's attention. "Every person had their past, years and years of their life, that has to hold numerous stories. Your future just waits to be filled exactly like that. Your future just waits to be filled exactly like that. And the present, the present is the best part. It's what your feeling, thinking, and doing, all at this very second. So I don't believe you when you say there's not much, because there's always a lot." Dean was a little embarrassed for making that short speech, but when he said he wanted to get to know Cas, he meant it. Not just his personality and what he liked and did, he wanted to know him to the point where he may as well known him for years.

And the best part: Cas was smiling. He was smiling at Dean like they were old friends finally seeing eachother again. Dean was completely over flirting.

"How about you tell me about yourself sometime in the week, lunch again? Someplace decent, I promise." Dean talked quietly, and the softness of his voice made Castiel's smile widem or maybe it was his words.

"Okay." Cas said. He finsihed his burger and kept the chocolate donut in it's bag.

"Great." Dean responded. They threw out their trash and headed back upstairs.

And then Dean remembered. He was supposed to tell Gabriel about his leeching in two days. No problem, he could just tell him when he got back to the room.

He retrieved his jacket from the cabinet behind Charlie to see her McDonalds replaced with a slice of choclate cake.

"Dessert?" Dean assumed.

"Had to get myself something special for winning the chess match. CharlieSkywalker65 remained in the top five." She said. Dean chuckled and walked next to Cas back to the room, shrugging his jacket on and adjusting it.

"Is she your friend?" Cas asked.

"Charlie? She's like a sister to me. Real nice, has a wife, her name's Jo. She works at the firehouse."

"She's a firefighter?"

"Yup." Dean smiled down at Cas who was thinking it over, saving the new people information to his brain like a new file to a computer.

"So, you've got the jacket... You're the doctor again. Tell me, _doctor_ ," the word slipped off his tongue with ease, and Dean's lips twitched into a smile at the thought of catching that word between his teeth and feeling those pink lips against his own. "When is all of this going to go down?"

"The day after tomorrow, we're going to put the leeches on Gabriel's leg. They'll draw the blood out, reduce the swelling, and we'll be able to put the cast on effectively." Dean said. Cas nodded but his smile was gone. "Hey," Dean, with slightly-shaking hands, cupped Castiel's chin with his fingertips, lifting his head up to meet his eyes. "He's gonna be fine, okay? I won't let anything bad happen." He thought it was a risky move, but Cas just blinked up at him.

"Okay. I believe you." He said. Dean smiled and let go of his chin. He kept walking to the room until they reached it, and Gabriel was calmly eating soup he was given and watching Desperate Housewives on the television ahead.

"Mr. Novak," Dean said, and Cas slipped behind him and to his seat next to his brother's bed. "Your leech appointment is scheduled for two days from now. You're not squeamish around them, are you?"

"Cas is." Gabriel smirked. Cas went red again, and Dean thought of something to say to cheer him up.

"Fears, they're ridiculous, right? I'm afraid of planes, flying scared the shit out of me." He said.

"Gabriel and I are both afraid of heights, _falling_ scared to shit out of us." Castiel said. Gabe didn't act teased or anything like that, he just smiled and didn't deny it.

"My brother's afraid of clowns," Dean said, and the three burst into laughter.

"How old is he?" Gabe said, taking in a deep breath.

Dean laughed again, his body heaving over. "He's a doctor here." His face went red and Cas, in his chair, had an arm clutched around his stomach.

"The- the-" Cas was cut off by another peel of laughter, and he paused to speak. "The McDcreamy one?"

"M-M-McDreamy? From Grey's Anatomy?" Gabe said, and Dean nodded at him. "Oooo, he's _cute!_ " Dean laughed again, and he didn't think about how loud they might have been, because Sam came bursting through the door.

"What the _hell_ is so funny?!" He said in a harsh whisper. "I can hear you _three rooms down_ with my patient!"

Only one person spoke, a deal of ten seconds later, Gabriel broke that silence.

"Holy _crap_ you're tall!"


	4. Bad News, Good News, and A Kiss

Sam grunted and closed the door quietly, looking very pissed off at his brother who was looking at the floor like a kindergartener who got busted by their teacher for talking.

"What's going on?" Sam said.

"We were just joking around." Dean said.

"Joking around? You guys were loud as fuck, seriously, what were you guys even talking about that made you sound like a bunch of hyenas?" Sam took a seat on the other side of Gabriel's bed, and Gabe followed him with his eyes, looking over every part of him that he could. _Oh no he's hot_.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm being rude." Sam held out his hand near Gabriel. "I'm Dr. Sam Winchester, Dean's brother. Nice to meet you, I hear you were called in yesterday?"

 _Oh no he's really hot_. "Yeah. My name's Gabriel Novak, my leg's broke."

"I see that. The swelling is a bit...off, actually. That's not normal."

"What? What do you mean?" Cas said, looking down at Gabe's leg.

"It's just swelling, Sam." Dean said.

"That's, like, three times the size it's supposed to be. We...need to get you to an X-ray room right now." Sam said.

"Wait, what?" Cas said. Sam lowered the side of the bed's handle and took the wheelchair from behind the curtain that was leaning against the wall, unfolding it and setting it by the bed.

"Dean, help me get him to the X-ray examination room." Sam said. Dean didn't say anything, but went to help Gabriel out of the bed, because his job wasn't to ask questions, and since Sam said he needed to get an X-ray, then he took his word for it. He ignored Castiel's questions about what was going on and successfully got Gabriel into the chair, and Sam stopped him before he could push him into the hallway.

"I got it from here, it's fine Dean, it won't take long." Sam said. Dean had a _"wtf you just said to help you"_ look but decided to not make things worse, so he simply stayed where he was in the room. About 4.2 seconds after the silence broke out, he remembered Cas freaking out in his chair, looking at the door with wide and panicked eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey," Dean circled the bed and got down on his knees in front of Castiel's chair so he could look up at him. Without hesitation he grabbed both of Castiel's hands, wrapping them in his own and squeezing them to calm him down. "Hey, Cas, look at me, deep breaths, okay? I _promise_ he's going to be okay."

"Oh, stop saying that." Cas whispered.

"No, because I mean it, I'm going to do everything in my power to get Gabriel out of this hospital alive. Hey, come on, look at me." Dean said harshly. Cas opened his eyes that he was squeezing shut and breathed in deeply, looking into Dean's candy-apple green eyes only a few inches from his, and his mind stop racing as fast as it was. Something about the way Dean calmed him down actually seemed to work.

***

 

"Okay, Mr. Novak, I apologize if I scared you back there, but I strongly think that we may have to perform surgery on your leg because here-" Sam showed Gabriel the X-ray of his leg that showed a broken piece of bone, not connected to anything, crooked and poking at the inside of his skin. "It wasn't regular swelling, that's why I thought it was abnormal, it was in fact your bone pushing at the skin. But the small amount of swelling that _was_ there was covering the poking bone, and it's understandable why that could have been mistaken for complete swelling."

"So..." Gabriel wasn't all too thrilled. This meant he _had_ to get the surgery. Or go without his leg. "I have to get surgery?"

"Yes, you do." Sam said. Gabriel waited a few moments, and then sighed.

"How much is it going to cost me?"

Sam frowned. "Mr. Novak, I want you to realize that your life is much more important than expenses, and that you should be happy we found something wrong before it was too late, you could have gotten an infection if we didn't find this soon enough, it may have even started scratching the underside of your skin, and you would have been in an immense amount of pain." He said, and Gabriel just nodded his head along.

"Okay, not trying to sound snappy, but really, be honest with me Sam, how much is it going to cost me?" Gabriel repeated.

Sam thought for a moment. "The swelling already was removed by the bone scraping against your skin, so we won't need to leech the swelling, but the surgery and the cast together would be, somewhere between seventy and eighty thousand."

Gabriel closed his eyes and sighed.

"Do you have insurance?" Sam asked.

 _Insurance_. _Insurance! INSURANCE!_

Gabriel had forgotten about the fact that his work at Sprint had given him really good medical insurance. He had been having to pay out of the pocket every expense he needed to pay throughout his life, and now that he actually had a good job for a solid two years without any accidents, he had completely forgotten that anything that would happen to him, his insurance would cover.

A _huge_ grin spread across his face, and he practically leaped out of his chair and swung his arms around Sam's neck, hugging him forcefully.

"Yes! I actually do!" Gabriel said, and Sam was incredibly confused.

"I'm sorry?"

"I completely forgot I did!"

"How do you forge-?"

Gabriel planted a huge kiss on Sam's cheek before he had time time think about it, and when he pulled his face away it took him 2.3 seconds to realize what he'd done.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry." He said. The corners of Sam's lips twitched into a smile, and he tried to stop the grinning, but he couldn't help that the feeling of Gabriel's lips on his cheek was warm and almost like he'd been shocked there.

"It's fine." Sam said back, and he stared at him for a little while longer, observing the color of his eyes and seeing that they were brown, but not just brown, a-ray-of-sunshine-going-through-a-glass-of-whiskey golden. It was a weird description, but it fit them perfectly.

"If that's it then, we should head back to the room. Cas is probably worried, he's my little brother, and all." Gabriel said it like he didn't want to leave. But he leaned himself back into the wheelchair, and Sam pushed him back to the room, where Dean and Cas were talking quietly, and Cas looked to be giggling at something Dean had said. Once Cas saw Gabriel come back into the room he looked at him with a face that automatically asked if he was alright.

"I just remembered I have insurance," Gabriel said like an innocent child that said they forgot their lunchbox at home. "I can afford the surgery, and I really am gonna be alright." He siad, and Castiel's face spread into a large smile. Dean smiled at the sight of him being so happy, and he looked at Sam, giving him a thumb's up.

***

 

As Sam watched over Gabriel (who was thrilled to find out Cas had gotten him the chocolate donut) Dean walked back to Charlie's desk.

"Cancel Mr. Novak's leeching for Friday, instead he's gonna need a surgery date." Dean said, and Charlie gave him a _"bitch pLEASE"_ look. "Please and thank you." He finished, and Charlie nodded, and began looking through the calendars to see an open spot.

"Next Tuesday at two p.m. is our earliest spot." Charlie looked from her computer up to Dean. "That alright?"

"Sure." Dean nodded, and Charlie did her computer magic, and Dean walked down the hallway and back to the room. This could easily be called the happiest day so far in his life, because one of his favorite patients was going to get the happy surgery they needed, and he possibly had a shot with his brother, a gorgeous blue-eyed man, and his own brother might get a change with his patient, it was more than a win-win, it was like a win-win-win-win. He could almost hear Oprah shouting in the dsitance _"You get a boyfriend, and you get a boyfriend, everybody gets a boyfriend!"_

The hospital room was just as peaceful as it was when he left. Gabriel in his bed, Sam leaning against the wall opposite him (totally eyeing him, it wasn't exactly smooth staring) and Cas was sitting in the chair next to Gabriel, like he never left.

"Next Tuesday at two, your surgery time." Dean said to him, and Gabriel smiled, his cheeks big and full of the chocolate donut.

"Yay, my leg won't be so fucked up anymore." Gabriel wiggled his body around in the bed, and Sam started laughing on the other end of the room, and Gabe smiled at him. Dean thought it was cute, actually, how he looked at his brother.

Dean had a crazy thought about _actually_ being with Cas, and Sam _actually_ being with Gabriel. It seemed like a cliché relationship, a pair of brothers dating another pair of brothers like one big happy ABC Family show. But maybe it was the thought of being with Cas that made him smile, or maybe it was the thought of Sammy actually being happy with someone.

But everyone has dreams, and Dean's dream...Dating his patient's brother, it was very unprofessional, very... Grey's Anatomy.

Dean pulled Cas to the corner of the room to talk to him, and Sam and Gabriel didn't even notice. Gabriel said something to Sam to make him laugh and Sam returned a joke in their fit of giggles and whispers.

"When are you free for lunch?" Dean whispered, he was leaning against the wall with his hand over Castiel's head. He smiled up at him, and looked down as he thought.

"I don't start my new job until next week. What about you, you're the doctor."

Dean laughed. "What does me being a doctor have to do with anything?"

"Y' know, doctor's always have those messed up work hours."

"I work from ten to five every day except Sunday and Mondays, Saturdays if I'm lucky." Dean chuckled. "How about tomorrow for dinner instead?"

Cas thought for a little while longer, and then agreed.

"Where would you take me?" He said.

"Oh, definitely somewhere fancy, like Applebees or Olive Garden." He said all seriously, and Cas laughed.

"Oh, wow, it's out first date, don't go crazy." Cas had to whisper, his giggling was too loud. Dean laughed too, and looked over his shoulder to make sure his brother and Gabe weren't spying on them. The two remained talking to eachother as they were before.

"How are we gonna tell your brother?" Dean whispered.

"Gabriel? He's a relaxed guy, you don't have to worry about him."

"You sure?" Dean said. "I'm not gonna be chased by some crazed brother?"

"I should be scared of your brother there, he's god damn Godzilla. You said he was McDreamy but not McTallAsFuck." Cas said, and Dean laughed again. Cas continued to laugh, and Dean asked him what was so funny.

"I just thought...what if everyone is Grey's Anatomy worked at McDonalds?"

Images of the surgeons operating on chicken nuggets flashed through Dean's head, and he broke into a quiet fit of laughter. He calmed down and sighed, looking down at Cas again.

"What goes through your head?" He mumbled, and Cas smiled and closed his eyes.

"To be honest, my past runs through my mind quite a lot." He said.

"And you said there _wasn't much_ to know." Dean scoffed.

Just before Cas responded, Sam spoke up from behind him.

"I should really get back to my patient, I can't let the interns cover over her forever." Sam said while standing up and Dean quickly and swiftly stepped away from the wall, rubbing the back of his neck while Cas stood awkwardly leaning against the wall.

"What's the lucky dude's name?" Gabriel said, his smile contorting into an _"oh shit DidIJustSayThat"_ face. "He's lucky because--um--you're such a good doctor--and uh--y' know you _seem_ like a good doctor--not because you're like, really...uh...really..." Gabe cleared his throat while all eyes were on him, and all those eyes knew he wanted to finish that sentence with _"hot"._

Cas just gave him a thumbs-up behind the rest of the visitors and Gabriel started smiling.

"Actually," Sam said slowly in response to what just happened. "Her name's Lilly, short for Lilith, and she's eight. She's quite the talker, too, but yesterday was her birthday."

"Sounds like a sweetie," Cas said. Gabriel rolled his eyes in the nicest way possible.

"Cas has always wanted a little sister, he hated being the youngest." He said.

"Anyone who _is_ the youngest in a group of three other boys would agree." Cas mumbled. "I doubt Sam cares, he's so fuckin' tall he could take down any older sibling."

"Right here, w-I'm right here." Dean stated. Sam said his goodbyes and left, and Dean figured his couldn't stay forever either.

"I will see you tomorrow though, I promise." Dean said, and he threw a wink in Castiel's direction before leaving the room. It was almost four-fourty five. Dean didn't want this work day to end just yet, but with thirty minutes left on the clock, he chose to just work downstairs in the E.R. to deal with the patients there, determining how many would make it to their own room or die on the spot. Yeah, he did kind of think it was a brutal thing to think, but he was too used to it, his job surrounding him with death every day he was there.

There weren't much people there that were unnatended to, and for once in his life, standing in the hospital, his _workplace_ , he was bored. Never had a day like this occured, where everything was going by so slow, and he honestly hated it. But hey, at least people out there weren't getting hit by trains or run over by cars or caught in fires. Yay for a safe city.

 


	5. Calendar Check

 

"What's for dinner tonight, Chewbacca?" Dean approached the younger brother who was sitting on their couch with his arm slung over the back of the couch and searching through channels, trying to find something to watch. His hair was still wet from his recent shower and his pajamas were a baggy pair of black sweatpants and a grey t-shirt.

"Ask Han, Leia." Sam shot back at him, and Dean's smug and clever grin was swept right off his face. He gave a sarcastic laugh, a weak "oh ha-ha-ha you're so FUNNY", and Sam snickered while looking behind him at Dean who was still running his fingers through his wet hair. "I don't know, man, how about takeout?"

"Ugh," Dean grunted. "I don't wanna go out, it's nine, what place'll be open?"

"KFC is open until ten I think." Sam suggested, and Dean grunted again. "Don't be such a child."

"Why can't you do it?" Dean sighed.

"I'll let you get a cookie."

There was silence. _Their cookies are really good_. Dean thought. "Fine." He said. Sam gave him a twenty on his way out of the door as he shrugged on his slippers and his leather jacket. He slipped the bill in his jacket pocket and took his keys out, starting up Baby and driving out to the nearest building with a bucket of chicken on the roof.

It was nine-thirty when he arrived, and he was told they were closing at ten. He ordered what Sam told him to get, and he waited to the side of the counter until his food was ready. He kept his head down, staring at the floor and thinking about stupid stuff while he waited, and he heard the bell above the door jingle. Being a human, of course he looked up to see who else was getting chicken this late at night.

"Cas?" He couldn't fight the smile that spread across his face when he saw the dark haired man step into the small eating establishment.

"Dean?" He responded, surprised as well to see Dean in such an odd place. Dean wanted to say it was a coincidence, but at this moment, he decided not to think about it.

"What are you doing here? It's almost ten." Dean said.

Cas looked around shyly. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I asked you first." He smiled down at him, and Castiel's cheeks flushed pink, and it made Dean's heart speed up at the sight of him.

"Gabriel didn't like the hospital's dinner, and the cafeteria closed about two hours ago. I decided to pick up some dinner for me and him." Cas said. _Jesus he's so nice and sweet and cute I want to date him so bad_. "What about you?"

"I'm picking up dinner for me and Sam. I probably shouldn't even be up this late, no wonder I'm tired half the time." Dean awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"You keep rubbing your neck," Cas said. "Do you do that when your nervous?"

 _Crap do I really do it a lot?_ "What? No, why, do I seem nervous while I do it?"

"You always do it. Funny, usually I'm the nervous one. You told me to trust you, so I wasn't nervous anymore." Cas said. Dean smiled again, and his heart pumped furiously against his chest as he continued to look down at Castiel's smiling face. He took in every detail of his grin: the way his eyes scrunched up and the corners of them wrinkled, the way his cheeks stretched as his smile dug into them, and the way his bright teeth flashed at him between those pink lips. They weren't perfect, Dean didn't want to blind himself of all the imperfections of Castiel's face, no one was perfect, but he looked at them as what made him even better. The way he wasn't perfect, it was what Dean liked the most. And his lips, the imperfect, slightly chapped lips, with red streaks on them from where Cas must have chewed the skin off, and small areas where they were more reddened than others where he must have bitten them.

He wanted to kiss then so bad.

The man at the front counter alerted him of his ready food, and Dean turned to see the bad ready on the counter. He looked back to Cas who was smiling shyly at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?" Dean said, and he gathered his things before stopping at the exit and turning around before he stepped outside to see Cas nod.

"Tomorrow morning." He repeated, and he smiled before Dean head back outside to his car, his heartbeat matching the rhythm with the song on the radio as he drove back to his house.

***

*178 days before* 

Dean woke the next morning ten minutes before his alarm clock. He woke up like he was in a fairytail, smiling, stretching his arms over his head while he yawned, and walked over to his bathroom to take a shower.

Sam was already awake, and was actually surprised to see Dean up and wound before his alarm told him to get up. He fixed a small breakfast for them both, just a small plate of toast on the kitchen counter. He was always on Dean's case about skipping breakfast, explaining that if he didn't have the time, he should wake up earlier. Dean proceeded to hiss at him like Dracula.

"You're up early." Sam took a long sip from his coffee cup as Dean smiled innocently.

"I'm eager to start the day, sue me." He said.

Sam narrowed his eyes. Then a wide grin spread on his face. "You've got a _date_."

Dean didn't deny it. In fact, he seemed to have forgotten how to lie. Thinking about he Castiel's date had his heart picking up, and smiled and looked at the floor, searching for the right words to say.

"Shut up." Was all he said.

"So who's it with?" Sam teased.

"Shut _up_!" Dean chimed back.

***

 

"What letter does his name start with?" Sam asked. Both of them had arrived at the hospital and were now going upstairs via elevator.

"Sam, I'm bi, how do you know its not a girl?"

"You haven't been on a date with a girl in two years, Dean."

"Fine. C."

Sam gasped and started hitting his shoulder, at least they were in the elevator alone.

"Ow, stop hitting me damn it!"

"You-can-not-go-on-a-date-with-Cas-ti-el!" Sam struck him on the arm with each syllable.

"Oh shut up, _McDreamy_ , you were totally making googly eyes with _the patient_ might I add, Cas is only his brother, who says I can't show interest." The elevator opened and two nurses stepped in and Sam continued to give Dean bitchface #27 "you're making such a bad decision and I'd yell at you but there are witnesses" and Dean just gave the nurses friendly smiles.

When they reached their floor and walked out into the hallway Sam hit him upside the head.

"Treat him right, things will go to shit if it doesn't work out." Sam said. "But, to be honest, you two do seem like a cute couple. But I didn't say that." He turned the corner to Lilith's room and Dean smiled at what he said and continued to Gabriel's room.

"Hey," Charlie called for him, and Dean stopped, turning to his left to where Charlie was. "I need you to take these bags of saline and change them out with the patients." He slid a blue bin of saline bags over the counter where Dean took them in his arms and nodded, going from door to door and switching out the empty bags.

When he reached Gabriel's room, he immediately stopped the door from closing too loud and stepped quietly to the side of Gabe's bed. Cas was on the small cussions by the large window, curled into a ball, asleep.

"He fell asleep late last night after we ate dinner." Gabe whispered.

"You guys had KFC, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I ran into your brother there, I guess we were all in the mood for chicken." Dean laughed.

"Poor dude's knocked out cold." Gabriel said softly as he looked at his brother's sleeping face. "Hey, dude, can I ask you a, um, _personal_ question?"

Dean paused while holding the bag in the air. "Sure," He said slowly. _Stop acting weird, you're his doctor!_ "What's wrong?"

"Would you be mad if I said I found your brother... kinda hot?" He whispered it like he was embarrassed, but he kept his head high.

"Gabriel," Dean sighed. "Whoever you find hot, that's your choice, and I would never get mad at you for that."

"One, I'm glad to hear that. Two, this is super elemtry-school, but Castiel has this... Crush on you, and he actually said you two had a date tonight." _shit don't be mad_. "All I wanna say is-first of all, I'm okay with it-but, Cas is a really good person, with a really shitty past."

_"To be honest, my past runs through my mind quite a lot."_

"If you're gonna date him, as an older brother, all I ask if that you treat him right, he's a pretty tough dude to get his walls down though. Be good to him, or I swear I'll shank your ass." Gabe smiled at him, and Dean threw away the drained saline bag. He was about to return outside when he was stopped.

"Oh, and, um, another childish thing to say, but, do you think you could... _tell_ Samk I like him?"

_Seriously?_

"You _want_ him to know you like him?"

"Life's too short to keep secrets like that." Gabriel said. "But sue me, I'm shy. I feel like if he was told and I _wasn't_ in the room, it'd be better."

Dean chuckled and nodded. "Will do." He carried the tray of bags to each of the rooms, changing them out and making small-talk with the patients before leaving and continuing to the next room.

He reached one of the rooms close by to Gabe's and saw Sam inside talking to the girl in the bed.

"I got saline duty." Dean whispered to him.

"Saline?" The girl spoke.

"It's pretty much salt water, it helps with wounds." Sam said.

"Is this Lilith?" Dean asked.

"Yup. I just turned eight this week." She chimed. Dean smiled at her. She had long blond hair reaching the middle of her back and a small gap between her two front teeth, but that's what happens in growing up, just gotta give it time.

"Well, I'll see you two later. Goodbye, Lilith." Dean continued down the hallway and was finsihed with the saline changing by eleven. He returned the tray to Charlie who stopped him and pointed to the computer screen since she had food in her mouth.

"What's up?" Dean looked at where she was pointing.

"(Muffled talking)"

"Take your time."

Charlie swallowed the apple bit. "A spot opened up. For the surgery."

"What? How?"

"One of the patients who had the room booked randomly kicked the bucket last night. I was able to fit you guys in, for today."

_Back the fuck up._

"Today?" Dean repeated.

"Today at two." She said.

Dean was silent for a few minutes. "Okay," He said slowly. "Okay. I'll go...tell him." He walked away from the counter and to Gabriel's room. _His surgery is today. Today. Todayyy. Todaytodaytodaytoday. Today at 2 p.m._

"This is happening." Dean whispered to himself before he stepped into the room slowly. Castiel was still asleep by the window.

"Woah, Dean, are you okay? You look nervous."

"I'm fine." His voice was two octaves higher than normal. "I've got some news, some surgery news."

"What's wrong?"

Dean took a deep breath. "A spot opened up for your surgery, and you were moved up. Way up."

"When's the surgery now?"

There was a pause. "Today."

"TODAY?!" Gabriel screamed loud enough to wake up Castiel who also started screaming. Dean shushed them both before Sam yelled at them again.

"What's going on?" Cas said.

"The surgery has been moved to today due to schedule openings. It's in about four hours." Dean said.

"Four hours?" Cas said. "Are you even allowed to move a surgery that close?"

"Unfortunately." Dean muttered. "But really, this is a good thing. We can get the leg healed quicker, and I promise, everything is gonna be fine."

"Don't jinx it!" Cas put his hands over his ears and Dean fought a smile.

"Mr. Novak, do you mind if I speak with Castiel in the hallway privately?" Dean said. Gabriel glanced between them both, and figured it'd be best for Dean to comfort him without Gabe in the room.

"Sure, go ahead." He said.

"Mr. Novak," Dean held the door open and Cas walked into the hallway, his arms crossed, but he wasn't upset. Well, he was trying not to get upset.

"Cas," Dean sighed.

"I already know what you're going to say." He cut him off. "I get it, he's going to be fine, that's what you keep saying. BUt I can still worry. And half my life has been full of me just worrying, because that's all I know what to do anymore."

"Don't put yourself down like that, Cas, that's not true." Dean said.

"No, it is, half my life I've been nothing but scared from absolutely everything. And I'm honestly still scared that Gabriel won't live, and that I'll be all alone to deal with-" Cas cut himself off, like he didn't want to say something he migh regret. "To deal with everything else. To deal with life, you know?"

"You don't have any more family?"

"No."

"Castiel, listen to me," Dean put his hands on his shoulders. "If you don't want to hear it, then I won't say he'll be fine. But I will say, I'll do anything and everything in my power to fix Gabriel's leg without hurting him, or you."

Cas looked up at him with wide, watering blue eyes that met his green ones.

"This is the last time I'll say it," Dean said. "You _have_ to trust me. Completely."

Cas nodded slowly and reached out to hug him, wrapping his arms around Dean's neck and pulling him into a tight hug.

"I'm trusting you, and I promise I won't worry as much." He said. Dean's heart was beating furiously, and he was sure Cas would feel it through his chest. Dean wouldn've done anything to card his fingers through Castiel's hair. But instead, he ended the hug and patted him on the shoulder.

"I promise, after the surgery, I'll take you a dream date, it'll take your mind off the whole thing." Dean said. Cas even smiled up at him for that. Dean liked the see his smile because then he knew he was really okay.

Dean guided them both back into the room and Gabriel was sitting on the bed biting his fingernails.

"Hey hey hey!" Dean said, and Gabe frightenedingly put his hands down. "You _do not_ bite your fingernails."

"Sorry." Gabe said quietly. "Did you two figure out a calm resolution or am I going to continue to be the rope in your little game of tug-of-war, team panic and team doctor?"

Dean scoffed. "It's fine."

Cas smiled up at him from the other side of Gabriel's bed.

"I promise."


	6. Flash!

 

 

"Are you sure you don't want to scrub in?" Dean said to his younger brother as he walked down the hallway with him on his way to the O.R.

"You got this, Dean, you don't need my help." Sam said back, and Dean whined.

"I don't want to do it alone." Dean whispered.

"You're a professional. You'll be fine."

"But," Dean looked for the right wordssss. "Gabriel likes you!" _perfect_

Sam stopped walking, and his eyes were locked ahead of him before they slowly turned to his left where Dean was smiling like a clever prick. "He does?"

"He told me to tell you," Dean continued. "He thinks you're _hot_."

"You're lying." Sam scoffed, and he kept walking.

"I swear I'm not!" Dean stopped him. "After the surgery, you take over for him, at least half the time. I freaking _guarantee_ that he'll do something to indicate he likes you. He'll either be really nervous around you, or maybe he'll even start flirting with you."

"Dean, he's a patient. Do you not realize how unprofessional it would be for me to actually have a...a _thing_ , for him? The last time that happened, I was almost fired, and I was still an intern then."

"Yeah, trust me, I remember." Dean sighed. "If I do this alone, I might freak, and if I freak, I might mess up, and if I mess up," He sighed and looked at Sam with eyes that were practically begging him. "I couldn't tell Cas I killed his brother, Sam."

"Why should you freak?"

"Because I'd get nervous if I was gonna hurt him, and in the midst of being nervous, I actually accidentally hurt him. It's like the acne theory: you get stressed from acne, and you get acne from being stressed."

"I've never heard of that theory."

"Dude, seriously? Just scrub in on the surgery, and if you don't I will kill you instead!" Dean hissed at him just below a whisper so the others didn't hear him, they were in a fucking _hospital_ for Christ sake. Dean walked into the prep room to be sterilized and he put on his sheet, seeing Gabriel being layed down the room on the other side of the glass in front of him. The mask was put on his face and in a matter of ten seconds, he was down under, and Dean stepped into the room.

***

 

Sam decided not to scrub in on the surgery. He knew right now Dean was probably holding a scapel and cursing under his breath, but it was just leg surgery, he wouldn't fuck up too bad, if he even fucked up at all. No, Sam instead decided to head back to Gabe's room and check in on Cas, who seemed just as calm as always. He was sitting in the chair he usually sat in.

"Castiel?" Sam poked his head in through the door and stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Sam," Cas said, looking up from the book he was holding. "Is everything alright?"

"Dean is still in surgery, I'm very much sure that everything is okay."

"Don't jinx it." Cas chuckled, and Sam smiled while searching for a topic to talk about, because leaving now would be too rude. Would it?

"I just came to check in on you," _honesty is the best policy Sam_ "If you need anything, just ask Charlie at the front desk, she's very nice."

Cas smiled. "Okay."

_Okay now leave before things get awkward._

Sam said goodbye and stumbled backwards outside the door.

***

 

Two hours passed, and Dean burst out of the O.R., the mask of his face still tied to cover his mouth and nose. Sam was silling out a birth certificate for a woman who delievered a baby girl ten minutes ago. The blond strutted over to his tounger brother with a wide smile on his face.

"Surgery go well?" Sam asked, not taking his eyes off the paper.

"Yup, no help from _you_." Dean replied, and Sam chuckled just at the sight of Dean trying to sass him when only his chin could be seen moving.

"Take that mask off, you look funny." Sam said, and Dean started fumbling with the knot at the back of his head that kept the mask in place. "You gonna go tell Cas or should I?"

"I got it," Dean put the mask in the garbage bin and ran his fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "But I need you to help Adam with Gabriel and get him back to the room. Thanks." He took off down the hall and to the elevator where two nurses were leaning against the back and whispering. Dean payed no mind to them and instead thought of what Castiel's reaction would be, and how their date would go later.

Dean wanted to bounce up and down like a giddy child but there was people he knew there.

The second the elevator doors opened he dashed down the hall and pasued at the hospital room door. He straightened out the wrinkles on his pants with his hands and opened the door slowly.

Cas was sitting by the window in which he was sleeping earlier, his back to Dean while he looked out the window. There was a sketchbook on his knee and white earbuds sticking out of his dark hair, and he was nodding his head to whatever he was listening to. He was tapping on his sketchbook steadily, and humming.

"Cas," Dean spoke. Cas continued to hum along to his song, and Dean actually smiled as he closed the door. "Uh, Cas?" He almost laughed it. It was six-thirty, his literal work day ended an hour and a half ago.

He wasn't Gabriel's doctor, currently. He stepped closer to the window and took a small peek over Castiel's shoulder, making sure to keep his distance just enough so he wouldn't notice him. Directly outside the window; the view of small buildings and the long strip of the highway in the distance behind a bundle of trees and tiny lines of streets were all perfectly sketched onto the paper, the pencil in his hands tracing light marks of graphite before going over them again to make them darker, to make them irerasable so matter how hard he tried. He would look up and out of the window before going back to the paper. Sometimes he would just look out the window, look at the paper, not mark a single thing, and look back out the window. As if he was double checking.

"Holy shit," Dean said at the marvelous drawing, and Cas gasped as he looked behind him. Dean smiled innocently and waved his hand. "Hey." He chuckled.

"How long have you been standing there?" Cas asked as he slowly took the earbuds out.

"Only a minute or two. How'd you hear me, I was calling your name when I walked in."

"The song just ended." Cas sad. He wrapped the earbuds around his phone and set it down on top of the sketchbook.

"You're really good at dr-"

"Oh holy shit, how'd the surgery go?" Cas blurted, and Dean smiled.

"It went great, Cas." He said. "Adam and Sam are bringing him back now."

Cas smiled wide and marveled up at him, his eyes squinting and he wrapped his arms over Dean's shoulders, hugging him tightly and giggling into his ear. Dean hesitated before hugging him back, his heart thumping rapidly once again and he could feel the blood rush to fill his cheeks.

"If you want to wait and see him before we leave, that's fine." Dean said.

"We still have that date. Where did you plan on taking me?"

"Applebees? They've got this thing called a super chocolate meltdown or whatever, its amazing, it's like a molten chocolate lava cake, but it comes with some vanilla ice cream. Have you tried it before?" Dean said.

"No," Cas said back. "That sounds fun, but you don't plan on going in scrubs, do you?" Cas giggled and Dean's heart gave a quick turn. He liked the sound of his giggling.

"If you don't mind stopping by my place while I change," Dean rubbed the back of his neck and Cas put his hand on his arm.

"You're doing it again." Cas said, and Dean lowered his arm back down by his side and smiled down at him.

"Sorry," Dean looked down at the ground and then back at him. "I should go tell Sam real quick, I'll be back in five minutes."

"Okay." Cas said. Dean nodded and smiled again, _stop smiling you huge dork_ , and he backed out of the room in time to see Sam pushing Gabriel in a wheelchair and Adam was talking to him.

"That was quick," Dean said to the taller brother.

"Gabriel's knock-out gas wore off faster than we thought and we were able to get him up and at 'em." Sam said.

"The swelling has reduced twice the size. We just have to put the cast on him and we'll be set." Adam said, and he stepped past Sam. "Excuse me, I'm gonna go check with Charlie when we can make an appointment to fit him for his cast."

"Okay," Dean said, and he turned back to Sam. "Well, Cas and I are gonna head out for our date. I'll see you tomorrow, Gabriel."

"Hey, remember what I said, treat my baby bro right." Gabe said, and Dean reassured him before walking with them both back to the room. Cas was putting his phone in his pocket with his book and sketchbook clutched tightly to his chest.

"Gabe!" Cas put the items in his hands on the table and knealt down to hug him in the chair, watching his leg. "How do you feel?"

"Same as before, I just know that now I'm A-okay." He responded, and Dean chuckled behind him silently. "But I've been told you're going on your date, so head on out, I promise I'm not going anywhere, I'll be here tomorrow."

Cas smiled and hugged him one more time before following Dean outside and down the hallway.

"Goodnight Charlie." Dean addressed to her on his way out, and she nodded back. They took the elevator down to the main level and then out into the parking lot where Cas gazed at the '67 Chevy in front of him.

"This yours?" He said.

"Of course," Dean responded, patting the top of the car. "She's my Baby..."

Cas smiled and ran his hand over the front hood, looking at himself in the side mirror before opening the door and getting in. _Benched front seats... Castiel, stop the dirty thoughts, its your first date!_

"What do you listen to?" Dean asked. Cas wondered what he was talking about until he motioned to the radio.

"Oh, uh... Nothing specific, kinda just the songs I think sound good."

"Like anything classic rock-wise?" Dean asked again.

"I love Queen, its not really rock, but..."

"I've got a few Queen tapes in the glovebox if you wanna check."

"Let's see..." Cas popped open the glovebox and dug through the tapes and pulled out three labeled 'Queen'.

"You make 'em yourself?" Cas asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, I got a buddy who owns a shop. There should be a piece of paper in the case with the list of songs."

Cas opened the case and pulled out a folded piece of paper, looking at the untidy handwriting. Dean heard faint 'ooo's as he went down the list. He reached the bottom, and he smiled widely.

"Find something you like?" Dean asked.

"Mmm hmm," Cas nodded and put the paper away while taking the tape out. "This one's my favorite."

Dean put the car in park when they reached his house. "Want to come inside?" He said, throwing a charming smile in his direction. Castiel's face flooded scarlet and he set the cassette tape down between them and nodded.

"Sure."

Dean got out of the car while Cas slowly put the empty cassette tape case back in the glovebox and clicked his seatbelt off. His door opened, and Dean was standing with his hand out.

"Come on," He said softly. _God, why is he so handsome? He's almost too good to be true._ Cas took his hand and warmth spread through his fingertips. It flowed from his hand up his arms and through his body and it made his heart beat faster and faster, and he could feel his stomach twist. _I don't like this feeling because now I think I like him_.

Cas followed him inside the house and already thought it was beautiful, it was made from dark red bricks and wood with a very dark brown front door. I t almost looked black. The window ledges were white and dark blue curtains were drawn to hide the inside. There were two white garage doors facing the driveway where the car was parked. A lamp that was turned off was next to the front door, along with the mailbox with the word Winchester above it next to the house number. An L-shaped staircase lead up from the driveway to the front door, and small rose bushes followed on either sides of the path.

"Sam likes to garden." Dean said, and he unlocked the front door. Castiel's hand was still locked firmly in Dean's, and he slowly walked into the home.

Directly in front of him was a Y-shaped staircase with an open doorway to the kitchen on the left and a hallway on the right. It was a very formal house. After taking a few steps forward, he saw on his left another open doorway that lead to the living room where a brown couch stood infront of a TV against the wall. Piles of movies sat stacked in the TV stand. Across the room, to Castiel's right, were two broad doors.

"Forgive me for asking, but what's in there?" Cas pointed to the two doors.

"That's Sam's study." Dean said. "I can give you a tour, if you want."

_Will I get to see your bedroom?_

Cas smiled. "Okay." He giggled and Dean smiled out of sight. He gripped Dean's hand tighter as he lead him into the living room. There was a table in the corner with a lamp on it and some family photos along the walls. A brown coffee table stood between the couch and the TV with three coasters stacked on eachother.

"Living room," Dean said simple. Cas looked for a few more seconds before being pulled forward into the kitchen.

_Wow_.

Black marble counters lined the wall with dark brown cabinets beneath and above them. A coffee maker sat in the corner with a book beside it that Cas couldn't see the cover to. The stove had six burners on it along with a vent above it. A dishwasher was built to the counter on the end of the row, and there was a medium-length dining table on the other side of the room that could seat six, one on each long end, two on each wide side.

"Kitchen slash dining room." Dean said. Cas smiled and he was pulled backwards back through the living room and across the hallway. Dean opened Sam's study door.

"Sam would probably kill me if he knew I was showing you his 'manly' room, but I don't care. He leaves this door open half the time anyway."

"It smells like flowers in here."

"He has like a million air fresheners in here hidden somewhere. Plus he cleans it like every weekend." Dean said. Cas smiled and walked away from the room and Dean shut the doors, leading him down the hallway where there were four doors, two on each side. He chose the back door on the right, and he pulled a string above his head. A lightbulb lit up, and Cas could see a staircase at his feet.

"Garage. Not much but two empty parking spaces, we bring our rides in here for days with bad weather, gardening equipment, and tools. While Sam cleans once a month, I clean Baby." Dean smiled proudly and Cas looked up at him with that large smile still on his face. Dean turned the light off and went across the hall. Behind the door was a fairly big bathroom with a thing in each corner; a shower was in the left front corner, the bathtub (that could fit two people and brought _ideas_ to Castiel's head) across from it, the toilet in the right back corner and the sink was on the opposite side of it.

"Baaaaatthhhroom." Dean dragged out the word and it made a giggle build in Castiel's throat that accidentally sounded like a squeak. He was embarassed at this, and Dean looked down surprised at him.

"What was that?" He said. A hint of a laugh was in his tone, and Cas went red. _He's laughing at me, God, I'm such an idiot_. Cas thought.

"I'm not sure." Cas said. "I think I was... _Trying_ to laugh."

Dean laughed again and Cas tried to smile, but couldn't help but eel he messed something up. Dean lead them back into the hallway and tapped on the door next to the bathroom. "We, unfortunately, can't go in here."

"Is that... _Your_ bedroom?" Cas said.

"What? No, this is Sam's. He'd kill me if I showed you around there, more sacred about this than his study. No, no, _my_ bedroom, I'd be fine with showing."

_Oh boy_.

Castiel's hand started to sweat as he gripped Dean's tighter as he lead them to his bedroom, which was next to the garage door. He hoped Dean hadn't noticed, but he didn't seem to care. Dean opened his bedroom door and Cas practically drooled.

It was decent-sized, not too big, not too small. There was a king-sized bed in the middle of the room, a chest of drawers against the wall next to it, a full-length mirror in the corner of the room, a table next to the door that held just his pictures and his alarm clock ( _he needs to set his alarm clock away from his bed to make sure he gets up, how cute_ ) and a final table next to the other with a radio on it that took up about a quarter of the table, but CD's took up the rest of it. They were arranged according to band name, and near the end was just randomly burned CD's like "Naughty Platinum Rock" and "Monsters of Rock".

But then there was the bed again. That king-sized bed, with velvet sheets that weren't anything fancy, they weren't silk or satin or anything, they were ragular bed sheets. But they were white and dark blue stripes, the blankets were dark blue and the pillowcases were black, satin. _Beautiful_.

"What about upstairs?" Cas asked.

"Guest bedrooms, mostly." Dean responded.

"Who stays with you?"

"Surprisingly, Charlie does a lot. Sometimes Jo has to stay a night at the station, she sometimes doesn't see her for a long period of time, and Charlie actually... Get's lonely. She'll stay with us for a week or so until Jo is sent back home for the nights. Or, you know, friends in town contact us because we have the bigger house, or family visiting. They come in handy, believe it or not."

Cas kept smiling. _You smile too much,_ Cas thought. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost seven.

"You, um, didn't plan on going to dinner at a specific time did you?"

"Nah, I couldn't risk setting a time and being late. I hate being late for things, don't know why. You wanna head out?" Dean closed the bedroom door and started walking back down the hallway to the front door, Castiel's hand was still wrapped in his, and he seemed to have forgotten to let go.

Once they were back in the car, Cas was excited because he was so ready to listen to his favorite Queen, it always got him pumped up. After he got his seatbelt on he popped in the cassette tape and skipped to the last song.

Dean sat and stared at the player because he wanted to hear which song Cas was talking about.

A light drum beat was played.

" _......Flash! Ah-ah, saviour of the universe!"_

Cas gave Dean a large grin and he laughed, starting the car and pulling out of the car.

" _Flash! Ah-ah, he saved everyone of us!_ "


	7. Date at Applebees

For a Thursday night, Applebees wasn't all that full. They got a booth next to the far window and Dean handed Cas the dessert menu.

"Take a look at that chocolate thing, it's delicious."

Cas smiled and looked at the picture. _Oh my God that looks amazing._

"Look good?" Dean asked, those white teeth flashing Cas a charming smile that made his stomach turn and his cheeks flush.

"Yeah. What's it called again?"

Dean looked at the menu again. " 'Triple Chocolate Meltdown'. It's amazing, and it comes with this scoop of vanilla ice cream, and since the cake is piping hot, I would put the ice cream in the hole in the center to cool it down."

 _Christ_.

"So this is officially a date. Our first date." Cas said, and Dean smiled at him. Before he could answer, the waitress came over to take their drink orders.

"I'll have a Coke." Dean said. He looked over at Cas, who ordered the same. The waitress smiled and walked away, and Dean looked at him with his elbows on the table, leaning forward to him.

"Will there be any more in the future?" He asked. Cas went bright red.

"I _hope_. I wouldn't mind." He responded.

"Let's see how this one turns out." Dean leaned back in his booth seat and slid the plastic menu in front of him. After about five minutes Cas decided on a steak and Dean had thought of getting the same thing.

"What's your favorite food?" Dean asked him.

"What?" Cas chuckled, _what a random question_.

"I want to get to know you," Dean said. "Even the little things, I wanna know. What's your favorite food?"

"Uhh... Burgers." Cas stated.

"Dessert?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's your favorite sweet, what... _satisfies_ your sweet tooth?" _Satisfies_. He said it quieter than he said the other words, and it sent chills up Castiel's spine.

"I uh...I don't know." Castiel said quietly. "I can't really choose."

"You like gummy bears?" Dean chuckled. Cas smiled and nodded. "They're my favorite." Dean took a sip from his drink and Cas looked down at the table to keep his eyes away from how Dean's lips wrapped around the plastic straw and how the lump in his throat shifted as it went down. _Jesus Christ Cas you're head's so far in the gutter_.

"What's your favorite color?" Dean asked.

"Green. Yours?"

"Blue. Where do you work?"

"My job starts next week at the police station." Cas said.

"You an officer?"

"Secretary, I like feeling safe."

"You don't think you're safe?" Dean leaned forward on his elbows again and Castiel's smile faded slightly as his head bowed.

"I was always a little paranoid, for no reason. Gabriel always teases me for it." Cas chuckled and Dean looked around him before leaning real close over the table.

"Y' know, you don't have to keep secrets from me. I'm trying to get to know you."

_I don't want you to know everything about me, Dean._

"I won't tell you my secrets if you won't tell me yours." Cas said. "It's only fair."

"That's true, but I haven't been keeping secrets from you, now have I?"

"I just have a past that I'm not too _keen_ on sharing. I'm sorry." Cas snapped. Dean stared at him for a little while longer. "What?"

"Nothing," He whispered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't push so much."

"It'll just have to wait." Cas mumbled.

"To the future?" Dean raised his glass off the table just by two inches. Cas smiled and lifted his own cup too.

"Sure. To the future." He clinked the two glasses together and put it back down.

***

 

They finished their dinner with Dean making the conversation and Cas responding with his low voice. Dean mentioned dessert when they finished, and Cas had totally forgotten.

"You save up room for dessert?"

Cas sighed and chuckled. He breathed in deeply, and then nodded. "Totally."

Dean laughed and waited for the waitress to come back.

"Could we get the triple chocolate meltdown please?" Dean asked.

"Sure, I'll bring that right out for you." She turned on her heel and walked to the kitchen, and Dean took his plate and set all the dirty silverware on it and pushed it to the edge of the table, Castiel's following.

"Just to get that out of the way." Dean smiled across from him.

"Do you come here a lot?" Cas asked. "Like, on dates?"

"On dates?" Dean laughed. "I haven't gone on a date like this in...months, really."

"What do you mean, 'like this'?"

"This is the first date in a while where I genuinely hope I get to see you again. I went on a date about a month back, and let me tell you, this dude was just... _Full_ of himself." Dean chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"Wouldn't stop talking about himself, wouldn't even let me get a word in. It was fun, a little, but I didn't really look forward to another date. I told him I wanted to just be friends, he took it alright."

"Are you friends now?"

Dean smiled guiltily. "No."

Cas chuckled. "I don't really go on dates much either."

"How many have you gone on in your life?"

 _God, don't tell him you've never gone on a date, you'd seem like a total dork and he'd just think you were lying anyway._ Cas took in a deep breath and just smiled.

"Can't remember." He said.

"Fair enough, I couldn't remember anything before last month." Dean laughed. "You remember your first?"

_Shit, um, think of a name, think of a name-- Balthazar. Balthazar is your cousin, Castiel. But Dean doesn't know that. But it's still weird. Oh well._

"I think I do." Cas lied, _you filthy liar_ , and looked up to make it seem he was thinking back to a special date. "I was in high school, and it was with a junior. His name was Balthazar."

"I think mine was with a dude named Benny. Eighth grade, I called family friend over, asking if he could look after Sammy while I took him to the movies. I can't remember what we went to go see, but I do remember getting a kiss at the end of the night."

_A kiss, oh shit, what are you gonna do if Dean wants a kiss tonight? You've never liked anyone enough to even think about kissing them. You don't even know how to kiss, shit Castiel!_

"A kiss?" _Make it seem casual, but slip in that you don't know how to kiss_. "I was such a loser when it came to kissing."

"Why's that?"

"I didn't know how to do it." Cas giggled. "I, uh... I still don't know how."

"You don't know how to kiss? How old are you?"

"Okay, okay, I'm still self-concious about it, so don't make fun of me." Cas said. "I'm twenty-nine."

Dean choked on his drink that he chose a bad time to take a sip from, and started coughing in a fit. He settled down while Cas went bright red instantly and Dean looked up at him. "Twenty-nine? And you don't know how to kiss?" _An "I can teach you" joke would be totally innapropriate right now wouldn't it?_ Dean thought.

"You know, I always hated the fact that when people have their first kiss, they're automatically expected to know what they're doing after that. No one ever taught me, and I didn't really have a lot of chances to practice." Cas said. Dean nodded, it was true, now that he looked at it from his eyes. "How did you learn?"

"My friend said she'd teach me." Dean said.

"She?"

"Bisexual over here." Dean raised his hand lightly.

"Pansexual." Cas raised his glass and took a drink from it. "Well, I never had friends that nice or willing. I was just a pathetic little guy growing up."

"Did you ever do anything in college?"

"Besides do what I'm supposed to do and get my degree since its what I'm paying for? No." Cas said sassily.

"Sorry. You just... Uh, crap, how am I supposed to say this..."

"Just say it."

"You're really cute, and--well, down-right hot--and it's hard to believe no one tried anything with you while you were in college, you know people there are crazy, newly adults and doing whatever they want."

"That's true, but I never said no one tried anything, I just said _I_ never did anything. Trust me, people flirted with me. I just turned them down, all the time. I was... _Am_ , very shy."

"Social anxiety...?"

"There's a difference between having social anxiety and just being shy, half the teachers fail to realize that when they force their students to give presentations when its mentally driving them insane. Nah, I just don't like being around people. I feel..." Cas was going to say "scared" but that would raise too many questions that he couldn't answer. "Odd."

"You hesitated." Dean said.

"I didn't know what word to use at first."

A large plate was suddenly set down between them.

"Hope you two enjoy your dessert. I'll set your bill here." The waitress put down a black case with the receipt sticking out the top and she left with a smile.

***

 

When their date was over, Dean asked where Cas would like to be dropped off: the hospital, or his home.

"My house would be fine, I'll tell you where to go. Just take a left up here." Cas said, and Dean started driving according to his guidance.

"Did you have a good time?" Dean asked.

"I did. I hope we can do it again sometime." Cas smiled. "Take a right at this stoplight."

"Alright," Dean made his turn and Cas directed him onto a street. "Grace Blvd...." Dean mumbled. "Which house is it?"

"The blue one, on your left." Cas unlocked the buckle and waited for the car to stop before getting out. Dean followed him up to the front door and leaned against the house while Cas unlcoked it.

"See you tomorrow." Dean said. "Goodnight."

"Yeah," Cas opened his door and leaned over, placing a small kiss on Dean's cheek. "Goodnight." _Oh my God you kissed him play it cool play it cool act cool just like they do in the movies._ Cas closed the front door behind him with a giddy smile on his face.

 


	8. Partially the Truth

_Quietly open the door, then you won't wake Sammy up._ Dean thought. He opened the front door slowly, and it creaked, and Dean mentally started cursing at it. He took a step into the house and the wood floors beneath his feet creaked also.

"Fuck," He whispered, and he closed the door, backing away from it when the lights suddenly turned on, and Sam was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"And just _where_ have you been?" Sam said. Dean smiled widely and walked towards his brother.

"On a date," He said. "With Cas."

"Ah, yes," Sam sighed. "I forgot."

"And it was great."

"You get a kiss?"

"Sammy, when you meet a cute boy, and you take him on a date, and you watch them stuff their face with the best chocolate cake in town, there's more to that date than a kiss."

Sam raised his eyebrow at him.

"On the cheek." Dean said. Sam started clapping his hands.

"Was it nice?"

"Well, I didn't expect it. I wouldn't have pressured him to kiss me, he said he doesn't know how."

"Doesn't know how?" Who was his first kiss?"

"Some dude named Balthazar."

Sam showed a "I'm sorry WHaT was that?" look. He scratched his head and his mouth hung open, like he was unsure to say something.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Uh..." Sam said quietly. "When I was talking to Gabriel, he mentioned someone named Balthazar."

"Oh, so they're friends?"

"...They're cousins." Sam said very slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. Dean's face contored into a "wtf" face.

"Dude," Dean mumbled. "That's some SAO shit right there."

"What's SAO?"

"Sword Art Online, it-it's an anime, forget it, but," Dean looked at the ground. "Maybe he was just teaching him how to kiss?"

"But then how would Cas still not know?"

"Bad teacher?" Dean let his hands fly up.

"Maybe Cas was just lying." Sam said. "Too embarrassed to say he's never been kissed."

And the puzzle was haldway done. _Never been kissed. I feel bad he was too embarrassed to tell me_.

"But I might be wrong." Sam said. "Ask him about it tomorrow." He crossed over the front room and into the hallway. " 'Night." He then disappeared into his room.

***

*176 days before* 

Though he wasn't one to put pressure on another, Dean was intent on asking Cas about Balthazar. He got dressed and told Sam to meet him at the hospital. He took off towards it, and rushed right to Gabriel's room.

"Mr. Novak, how are you this morning?" Dean asked him as he checked his chart to see if anyone messed with it ("damn interns, taking patients, can't they see my name on the board?") and putting it back by the foot of the bed.

"Fine. How was the date?" Gabriel asked.

"Very nice," Dean said. "But I have a question about Balthazar."

Gabriel's smile fell and he looked almost irritated. "Cas told you about Balthazar?"

"He said..." Dean stopped and thought explaining everything would be too complicated. "...Balthazar was his cousin."

"Is that all he said?" Gabriel questioned.

"Yeah," Dean felt bad about lying. "Why, is there someting else I should know?"

"No." Gabriel looked down at his hands. _Secretssss... I don't like them. Oh well, don't be a nosey bitch, Dean._

"Well, I'll check back in with you later." Dean said. "By the way, is Castiel here?"

"Yeah, he's in the cafeteria, he's getting breakfast."

"I'm gonna go talk to him."

"Hey, Dean," Gabriel stopped him quickly. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." He said, and there was a pause.

"Don't ask him about Balthazar, okay? He's a cousin, but not a very liked one."

_Then why did he lie about having a first kiss with him? What the fuck is going on?_

"Okay." Dean said finally, and walked out.

He went down to the cafeteria and dropped his coat off by the locker behind Charlie's desk. He searched the cafeteria for Castiel's face, and found him at the table by the window where they were eating the other day. Dean went over to him, his hands in his pockets, and sat down across from him. Cas was eating a muffin, and it bulged in his cheeks as he smiled widely.

"Hey," Dean said. He waited for Cas to finish his bite and, full of regret, went against Gabriel's wishes, because he just needed an answer to this one thing. Too many secrets were being kept from him. "Cas, I've gotta ask you something."

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"It's about Balthazar," Dean knew he was going to get some kind of reaction, and Castiel's smile fell into a frown, and though Dean felt bad about putting any kind of pressure on him, he needed to know. "Look, Cas, I know he's your cousin."

His frown looked more like a guilty look, and he looked down at the table. "I didn't want to lie. But I thought you wouldn't believe me if I told you that I, you know, never been kissed."

"I admit, I would have probably thought you were lying. Its just, I've never met someone your age who hasn't kissed someone before. Is there a reason why?" Dean asked.

Cas sighed. "No one ever liked me enough to want to be with me. I was a really quiet person, more than quiet, really. I was the freak in my classes."

"Why?"

"Dean, I-" Cas paused, and looked up at him with those blue eyes. "I don't want to scare you away with the truth, trust me, you wouldn't like it."

"I don't care, I hate being lied to, and I can see it every time in your face that you lie because you part your lips and you don't know what to say when you do it." Dean said. "Cas... Last night's date was amazing, and I bet the future holds even better ones, but I can't trust you if... If you don't tell me anything."

Cas looked down almost right after he said that. Before he spoke, he sighed again. "When I was nine, my aunt and my brother died, real suddenly, and my dad was really torn up about it. He became super depressed, and it affected Gabriel and I badly. I ended up going to therapy for a few years, and people in my school called me a freak for it." Cas said. "And I wasn't too keen on telling you, because, like I said, my past really sucked."

"Cas," Dean started, and then reached to grab his hand under the table. Cas looked up when he did and there was a hint of a smile. "I'm sorry, really, I am, but now I know, and that's all I really needed. To know." He said. Cas was definitely smiling now, but his eyes were looking down at the table.

"Thanks." He whispered.


	9. Harry Potter and Another Date

"Hello Gabriel," Sam stepped into his hospital room where Gabe was reading a book on his bed. "Dean became victim of this here's allergy season, and I volunteered to substitute for him."

"That's very kind of you, Doctor," Gabriel put his book down. "But for the past few weeks, I haven't been needing any medical emergencies."

"Meaning?"

"I'll make it as simple as possible; when can I go home? All I got is a cast on, do I really have to stay in here for eight more months?"

There was a silent pause before Sam sighed. "Gabriel, as much as we don't want to keep you cooped up in here for this long, we can't have any chances. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Yeah, I know, but," Gabriel sighed frutratedly. "How come this never happens with other patients? How come its only with me you say 'better safe than sorry'?"

The last thing Sam wanted to send Gabriel home and have something go wrong that would put him in danger. Sam had been in the room much more often before, finding excuses to tag along with Dean, because he liked Gabriel.

He really liked Gabriel, and he was envious that after four dates, Dean finally got to call Cas his boyfriend. He'd been there when Dean got home with the biggest grin on his face after their third date, when Cas had leaned over in the passenger seat and took Dean's lips in his, running his fingers up the back of Dean's head, feeling his hair slip past his palm, and Dean had put his hand firmly on Castiel's hip, slipping his thumb around the top of his jeans. And he'd been there when Dean came home the week after that, with honestly the most dumbfounded look, saying that he asked Cas to be his boyfriend. Sam apologized, thinking Dean was upset Cas turned him down. _"No, dude,"_ Dean had said. _"He said yes."_

And meanwhile, Sam was too shy to tell Gabriel he liked him. _Maybe I should just do it now. Yolo right?_

"You know, Gabriel," Sam started, looking down at his hands. He feared if he looked up at Gabe's face, that it would scare him back into silence. "This is super unprofessional of me, but... I've grown to kinda like you. A lot. I don't mean to be weird, or awkward, but if you feel umcomfortable around me, then I understand, bu-"

"Jesus, Winchester, you're a really dorky doctor, aren't you?" Gabe said. Those words struck at Sam's chest like an unexpected football. "You know how relieved I am now that I know you like me back, like, wow." He chuckled while looking down, and it made confusion stir in Sam's head before it clicked in his mind that he should feel happy right now. _He likes you back, Winchester, that's basically what he just said_.

"Though it is great to know that we like eachother, I'm going to assume you would be greatly uncomfortable with the idea of dating a doctor." Sam leaned on the foot of the bed with his hands grasped around the gate.

"I'm definitely not," Gabriel said simply. "But since it might be a risk to your career, I'll only say that I won't let anything happen as long as I'm still a patient here. Once I'm excused from the hospital, then I'll let you take me out. We got a deal, Winchester?"

 _Oh he's a clever one._ Sam smirked and then smiled. "We got a deal. But I'm totally allowed to flirt with you."

"You _totally_ aren't," Gabe picked his book back up with a smile on his face, but was hiding it behind the book covers.

"What are you reading?" Sam said.

" _Harry Potter_."

 _gASP._ Sam thought.

"Really?" Sam contained the excitement in his voice. "Which book?"

" _Prisoner of Azkaban_. It's my favorite one."

 _Oh my God he's read them_. "Cool. Hey, maybe we can watch the movies together someday." He said. _A date watching Harry Potter movies would be the best first date._

***

*two months later*

 *115 days before*

It had been a month since Gabriel was dismissed from the hospital. Two weeks after he was sent home, Sam used one of his days off to visit him and have their promised date of watching the Harry Potter movies, though they only got halfway through the third one before they started talking to eachother and completely ignored the movie.

Cas was spending the night at Dean's place that night to give them two some privacy, and he and Dean made pancakes for dinner very messily.

"What if I flip it like this?" Cas tilted the pan downwards to indicate him flipping the pancake in the air and he laughed.

"If you do that the batter on the uncooked side will go everywhere, trust me," Dean laughed back and took the spatula they were using off the counter and flipped it correctly.

"No, no, not yet," Cas said when it was done. "I wanna try something." He flung the end of the pan upwards so the pancake went into the air and flipped onto the other side, landing back on the pan. "Ayyy I did it!" He said. Dean laughed harder and put the ready pancake on the plate next to the stove.

Sam, to Gabriel's much amusement, cooked in his kitchen, carrying him princess-style to the kitchen and setting him in the chair at the table that was in the middle of the kitchen.

"What sounds good?" Sam asked him.

"Umm... Noddle Alfredo?" Gabriel said.

"You got all the stuff?" Sam replied.

"Yeah,"

"Then watch and learn," Sam said with a very cocky smile.

"Bitch please, I already know." Gabe said back. He chatted with Sam as he cooked up their dinner, and when it was finished, Sam brought the serving bowl full of noddle alfredo to the kitchen table and set it down in the middle, setting Gabriel's plate down in front of him.

"Cheers to a successful first date?" Sam said. Gabriel looked slyly up at him and his raised glass. Gabriel tapped it with his.

"I would definitely say it was successful." He said. "Hopefully there are more in the future...?" He gave a flirty smile and set his drink down, taking a bite of his food and greatly complimenting Sam's cooking.

"Thank you, I used to watch my mom cook all the time." Sam replied.

"My dad was the five-star chef of our house," Gabriel chuckled, and then it died down, along with his smile, as he looked down at the table.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked. Gabriel looked up and his smile returned when his eyes landed on Sam's face.

"Yeah, I'm okay," He said. "Long story, really."

They continued to eat, and when it was time for Sam to leave, they both stood awkwardly by the front door. Sam didn't want to leave and Gabe didn't want him to go, not yet. He stood in front of Sam, crutches under both of his arms, and the height difference was utterly _hilarious_ for both of them.

"Tell Castiel to remember he has work at eight." Gabriel said, and Sam nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "I had a fun night, Sam."

"I did too," He replied. There was silence from both of them for a little, and Sam continued to look down at him. Then it was broken.

"If you're uncomfortable kissing on the first date, then that's fin-"

Sam had to bend down to kiss him, but he cupped Gabriel's cheek and brought their lips together, capturing Gabe's bottom lip and running his thumb down his cheek before pulling away and keeping his face close for a moment longer before saying goodbye again.

"I'll see you again," Sam whispered to him before leaving.

 

 


	10. A Quick Look Backwards Pt.1

*four months later*

 *24 days before*

Things with the boys' relationships were going perfect for them. For Dean's lunch breaks, he would call Cas up at the police station and chat to him until his time ran out. On the nights where he had to stay late according to an emergency surgery, Cas would encourage him like crazy, telling him he had all the faith in the world. And it would make Dean feel much better. And then sometimes Cas would spend the night at Dean's place, and they would cook something for dinner, making the most simplest of meals so complicated. But then they would watch "Office Space" while eating in Dean's room and Dean would grab a shower before bed, and Cas would join him (and beyond that point, not a lot of showering would get done).

And while Gabriel was still supposed to use crutches, Sam would carry him from place to place though Gabe would protest, saying he could do it himself. He would carry him from the car to the living room and put him on the couch, or to the kitchen and set him on the kitchen counter, or to the bedroom where he would lay him down on the bed and crawl under the covers next to him and Sam would give him an earbud and he would have the other and they would fall asleep listening to music.

But if Cas didn't have work the morning after he'd spend the night, Dean would wake him up with surprise morning sex.

 

_Dean woke up with his nose in Castiel's hair, and he traced lines on his arm with his finger, resting his hand on his leg and rubbing it, circling closer to his dick before Cas started to react._

_"I just woke up, dude." Cas groaned. He turned his head so he could look at Dean. "I haven't even brushed my teeth yet."_

_"I don't care," Dean responded, kissing the corner of his mouth and turning hid body so he was towering over Cas, resting on his arms that were on either sides of Castiel's head._

_"I'm not kissing you with morning breath." Cas joked. Dean smiled and bent down to kiss him, taking his lips in his own and running his tongue along his bottom lip. He reached down between them and stroked Cas through his breifs, making the blue-eyed man close his eyes and tilt his head back as a deep growl rumbled somewhere in his throat._

_"Dean..." He whispered. "Its so early..."_

_"C'mon baby, you don't have work today." Dean said._

_"But you do," Cas said. "You don't wanna be late."_

_"If I go with a boner I'll get fired anyway, at least this way I'll get off with a warning." Dean nuzzled his nose in the crook of Castiel's neck, kissing his collarbone and running his tongue along his smooth skin._

_As Dean kissed him, Cas managed to get his underwear down to his knees, rocking his legs awkwardly beneath him as he got them down to his feet and got them off, moving his hands to Dean's hips and bringing them down to meet his, rocking himself against Dean's erection and his breath hitched and he bit down on Cas' shoulder._

_"Kiss me," Cas whispered. Dean hesitated, and roughly brought their lips together, licking and biting his lips as Cas hooked his thumbs on the hem of Dean's breifs, tugging at them to bring them down, and he got them just below Dean's ass._

_Dean gasped and pulled away, feeling Cas' hands on his ass, and he brought his hips up to meet Dean's again. "Your hands are cold," Dean said._

_Cas scoffed. "Shut up," he responded. Dean used one of his hands to cup Cas' cheek as he kissed him again, and Cas' hands (oh they were grabby) were exploring Dean's body, running them up and down his back, gripping onto his shoulders, holding his arm that was he was leaning on, covering the hand on his cheek, and messing up his hair when he ran his fingers up the back of his head, running his hand over the find hairs on the back of his neck and travelling up to his scalp where he pulled._

_Dean let out a deep groan when Cas pulled his hair like that, and he bit his lip harder. He wrapped his legs around Dean's waist, thrusting up to grind himself against his growing erection, scratching red marks down his back. "Dean," Cas whispered, gasping for breath. "Please, please Dean, I can't take it anymore," He tossed his head back and met Dean's gaze again, his pupils blown wide._

_Dean met his lips again and Cas took him in his palm, guiding him to that one spot, and pulling his hips down, and taking him in. He sucked in a sharp breath, and Dean sucked in his neck as their hips met. Cas pulled at Dean's hair, tilting his head up and kissing him. Dean pulled his hips away, muscles squeezing and tightening around Dean's cock, and he pushed in again, rocking his hips back and forth as Cas roughly sucked a bit his lips, digging his nails into his shoulders and hooking his legs together behind Dean's back._

_"Fuck," Dean grunted, rocking his hips against Cas', the friction making beads of sweat run down his back. He thrust in again, and Cas let out a loud sudden whimper. He gripped his bottom lip with his teeth, shutting his eyes tight as Dean continued to fuck him, letting out harsh breaths. With two more thrusts, Dean was coming with a harsh bite to Cas' shoulder, and Cas was soon following him, the feeling of Dean coming buried inside him had his cock twitching and spilling across his stomach. Their mouths were hungry for eachother again, and Cas pulled Dean's head down, sliding his lips against Dean's before kissing him deeply, their tongues sliding over eachother and Cas' nails digging into Dean's back._

_Cas paused, his breath harsh against Dean's neck as he caught his breath. "I..." Cas started, swallowing his breath and looking up at the candy-apple-eyed man. "I love you."_

_There was silence as Dean looked down at him. Finally, he dipped his head down and kissed him again, this one quick. "I love you too." He responded._

 

And in kindness of Gabriel's still healing leg, Sam wouldn't dare hurt it, but he would wake Gabe in the morning by kissing him nonstop and running his hands up and down Gabe's body.

 

_Light flowed in through the crack in Sam's brown bedroom curtains. The digital clock next to his bed read it was seven, and the light was right on his eyes. He turned to where Gabriel was on his side, facing him, still fast asleep._

_Sam leaned closer to his face and left a small peck on his nose. Gabe moved and whined, his eyes still closed._

_"Goodmorning." Sam whispered near his ear, kissing the side of his head and running his hands down his arm and wrapping his hand around his wrist._

_"Mornin'." Gabe grumbled back. Sam gently took his chinin his fingertips and turned his face upwards, placing a small kiss on his lips, going to kiss the corner of his mouth and then his shin, kissing down to his neck and then collarbone, sucking on his skin and running his fingers through his hair._

_"You hungry?" Sam said into his neck._

_"What?"_

_"Are you hungry?" Sam took his face from Gabe's skin and ran his nose up his cheek._

_"A little." Gabe mumbled. He scooted himself over and Sam put his arm under him, pulling him close to his side and letting Gabe's head rest on his shoulder. Sam continued to run his fingertips in circles on Gabe's arm._

_"That tickles," Gabe said. Sam smiled._

_"Good."_

 

No, but things got worse.

It was the morning time, and neither Dean nor Cas had work that day. Dean was fixing breakfast and Cas was watching from the kitchen counter. His phone started to ring, the vibrations it was emitting had it buzzing inch by small inch on the kitchen table. Dean stepped away from the stove and picked it up, Cas smiling over at him as he formally answered his phone.

"Castiel Novak." Dean said, and he peeked over at Cas sitting on the counter.

"This is sheriff Mills calling about Alastair Novak's release from prison, we're calling to say that due to good behavior over these years, we're shortening the sentence by the last three months. He'll be released two weeks from now." A woman said on the other line of the phone. _Alastair Novak? Cas'... Brother? Other cousin?_

"Uh, okay," Dean said. "I'll tell him."

"Thank you." The woman hung up. Dean closed the phone and looked up at Cas who was swinging his feet hanging off the counter.

"Who was that?" Cas asked.

"Sheriff Mills," Dean said, and that must have triggered some switch in his head, because Cas' smile fell and he hopped off the counter immediately, taking the phone from Dean's hand and looking at the call history, seeing that it was from the county jail.

"What'd she tell you?" Cas said. _Okay, Cas,that's suspicious_. He thought. "I mean, what'd she'd say?"

"She said some dude named Alastair was getting out of prison three months early. He's getting out in two weeks." Dean said. Castiel's eyes blew out wide, and a whimper escaped his lips. He covered his mouth with his hand and Dean reached out towards him but he cowered away, his back hitting the counter.

"Baby, who's Alastair?" Dean took a step toward him. But then there was a door being slammed, and small clacking sounds, and Gabriel showed up in the doorway with a crutch under each arm and Sam closely following him.

"Dean, can I talk to Castiel alone?" Gabe said. Dean looked back between Gabe and Castiel, taking a glance at Sam to see if he knew anything about what was happening.

"What's going on? Who's Alastair?"

Gabe's eyes went wide too, _seriously who's Alastair?_ , and he looked at Cas' phone in Dean's hands which Dean had taken back when Cas almost dropped it.

"How do you know Alastair?"

"I answered the phone, will someone tell me what's wrong?"

"I'll explain later, but I need to talk to Cas right now," Gabe said. Dean looked at his boyfriend one more time before walking towards Sam and dragging him by his arm to his study. When Dean closed the doors, Sam went right to his desk and opened his laptop, typing in his password while Dean kept asking him what he was doing.

"Its this thing I set up a few years ago when we got the house, have you ever seen _Paranormal Activity 4_?" Sam asked.

"Of course."

"Well, they explained how the cameras in there house were set up and how you can view all of them from a laptop, well, I had cameras in all the main rooms set up in case we ever got robbed because, you know, big house." Sam clicked on a few of his folders and pulled up one that was of the kitchen.

"Dude, are you really gonna spy on their conversation?" Dean said.

"No, _we're_ gonna spy on their conversation." Sam turned up the sound and it showed Gabe sitting down at the kitchen table with Cas still leaning aginst the kitchen counter.

"What are we gonna tell them?" Cas said.

"The truth, I guess? You've been dating Dean for six months, don't you think he deserves to know what happened with dad?"

"What if he looks at me like some type of freak?" Cas said.

"Why would he do that? The only person I would imagine he would hate would be Alastair, not you."

"I've been a freak all my life, Gabriel, h-h-how are we gonna do this? He's getting out in two weeks, what if he tries to find us?" Cas said.

"What if he does, we're not letting him back in our lives. Why should we?"

"I haven't seen dad in over ten years, Gabriel, I'm so scared," tears formed in Cas' eyes and he covered them. "He's gonna find us, I know he will."

"Castiel, stop with that talk."

"Then tell me what I'm supposed to do!" Cas said louder. "What are we really gonna do, just continue our lives with him in the same town as us, just casually acting as if he was never our father? Gabriel, we can't do that."

"Just," Gabe started. "Give me time to think, Cas. I'll get a warrant or something, I'll sure he can't come anywhere near our house, but Cas, you need to calm down."

"But I have no idea how I'm gonna tell Dean." Cas whispered.

"Then I'll tell him," Gabriel said, holding his arms out. "You don't have to tell him face-to-face if you don't want to."

"God," Cas put his face in his hands again. "Has it already been seventeen years since they died?"

Dean slammed the laptop closed. He put his hands on it so Sam couldn't open it again and looked his brother dead in the eyes.

"We're getting rid of those cameras." He said.

"Dean, you wanted to know what was going on, don't lie!"

"Finding out from Cas or from Gabriel, while they were _telling_ me, would have been okay too, but no, you just had to spy on them. Its called _decencey_ , Sam, get some!"

"But hey, at least we know that they're planning on telling us." Sam said.

"You didn't have to be such a nosey bitch, bitch." Dean said.

"You know, you could try to be less of a jerk, jerk." Sam said back.

Dean just scratched the back of his neck and they both waited in silence. A few times later, you could hear Gabriel's crutches on the hardwood floor. Sam opened the doors and Cas could be seen still at the kitchen table with his head in his arms.

Gabriel closed the doors to the study behind him, and he set his crutches on the floor before hopping up and sitting on Sam's desk.

"So what's going on?" Sam said. Gabe looked from Sam to Dean, and finally at the ground.

"You guys agree to listen until the end? No questions until then, understood?" He said.

Sam and Dean both nodded.

"Okay then," Gabriel sighed and took a deep breath. "I'll tell you what happened, seventeen years ago."

 


	11. A Quick Look Backwards Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay shit's gonna get dramatic here, if the tags aren't updated by the time you read the chapter, I'll go ahead and say here that there is violence here and some abuse on Castiel's part. If it bothers you, then I'm sorry.
> 
> ~you've been warned

"Hey Cas, you done your homework yet?" Gabriel shuffled into the room with his Gameboy in his hand and Balthazar looking over his shoulder at the Spyro game on the screen. His little brother, Castiel, was sitting on the couch watching TV, and he groaned. Without answering, he got up and walked into his bedroom, coming back out with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his pencil in his hand.

"I'm doing it out here." He said, and Gabriel said it was fine. Cas sat down on the floor with his legs crossed and his homework sheet on the coffee table, his pencil scribbling down each answer. They had almost tuned out the sounds of Lucifer and Michael grunting in their father's study just a few feet away wrestling, as a seventeen year-old boy did with his eighteen year-old brother, the doorway just an arch to see clearly into the room.

Balthazar continued to look over Gabriel's shoulder as he played as the small purple dragon while Castiel chewed on his pencil, looking at each question for a while before answering it.

There was a sudden and loud _BANG_ , and all three boys looked up from their activities to see Michael standing over Lucifer in the study, his breathing heavy.

But Lucifer's breath was nonexistent. His chest wasn't heaving, and Michael didn't seem to react at all. Balthazar's mother came racing up the basement stairs where she was doing laundry after she heard the loud noise, and looked at the three boys, her eyes darting to the study where they were staring.

She looked worriedly to Michael, standing nonchalantly over his brother's dead body. "Michael..." She said quietly. "What have you done?"

"We were just wrestling." He said. Gabriel and Balthazar were terrified. They knew Lucifer was dead by Michael's hand, but Castiel had no idea what was going on.

"Gabe..." He whispered, reaching his hand behind him where they were sitting on the couch. "What happened to Lucy?" He looked up at him, his blue eyes glittering with confusment and innocence.

"Balthazar, we should get out of here." Gabe whispered to his cousin.

"We have to call the police." Balthazar whispered back.

"My brother could go to jail if we do that, we have to call my dad."

Balthazar looked down at Gabriel (they were the same age, but he had grown taller.) "We need to leave." He stood up, and his mother was enough of a distraction to grab Castiel's hand and pull both the boys into the next room, the kitchen, where he lead them out of the back door.

Gabe had stayed with Cas as Balthazar ran faster than the speed of light to their neighbor's house and called the police, and they were there in a matter of three minutes. The three boys had stayed inside the neighbors' house until the police got there, and they watched from the window as Michael came out of the house, his bare chest splattered with blood. The neighbor woman, her name was Tessa, kept her hand clamped over Balthazar's mouth to keep him from making a noise as he let out a choked sob, his eyes starting to reflect off the moonlight as they filled with tears.

"Oh my God..." She whispered, her kitchen light was turned off as they looked out the window above her sink, and they heard the sirens before they saw the flashing lights. Three police cars and an ambulance had pulled up to the Novak's household, and Michael watched every vehicle approach and come to a full stop in front of him. He watched policemen get out of their cars and point guns at him.

Gabriel had dashed out of the kitchen door, Tessa couldn't catch him in time, Balthazar followed, and last but not least, a curious Castiel. A policeman stopped Gabriel who was running to his home and asked him where his parents were, thinking he was a neighbor's child. But he kept running to the house, he needed to see inside, he wasn't going to accept the fact his brother was murdered.

The policeman grabbed him before he could run another step. He kicked and screamed and Balthazar had to be held back too.

"No, stop, that's my brother!" Gabriel watched as a body was carried out of the house. A tall figure, too tall to fit onto the gurney they were carrying him on. His black Converse shoes peeked over the gurney, and Gabriel yelled to be let go, so he could go to his dead brother's side. "Lucifer! L-Lucifer! Let go of me!"

Balthazar wasn't strong enough to fight the policeman holding him, tears were streaming down his face as they took another body from the house, this one a short woman. This woman, Balthazar's mother. Gabriel and Castiel's aunt. Alastair Novak's sister. Michael Novak's victim.

But the youngest brother was not to be forgotten. He was standing in Tessa's arms, him being the only one she could catch in time, and he was breathing in harshly the cold October air. It chilled in his lungs and reddened his cheeks, and he looked frantically from Gabriel to Lucifer's body, and then to Balthazar and his aunt's body, but settling on his final brother. Sitting in the back of a police car, his hands cuffed behind his back, and a wicked and satisfied smile on his face.

"Mikey..." Castiel choked out, and Tessa looked down at him, observing the scene in front of her as well. "What's happening to Michael?"

Castiel was never answered, not until late that night. Gabriel and Castiel were sent to a hotel a few miles away to wait for their father to end his work shift, and then he would be alerted. But Gabriel was sent out by their father to get ice for their room, and Alastair sat Castiel down on one of the beds to end his confusment.

"Castiel... I'm very sorry, Castiel, but Michael... He's done something, very bad. He hurt your brother, and he hurt your aunt, real bad."

"Are they going to be okay?" He asked.

Alastair's face didn't lighten up one bit. "No," His voice sounded choked. "No, I'm sorry, but next week, we're gonna remember them, and we're inviting a lot of the family, and we're... We're holding a funeral." He said.

"Will Michael be there?"

His father's jaw clenched, and he forced his lips to break into a small smile. The last thing he wanted to do was scare his youngest. "No, Castiel, I'm sorry, but, when he hurt those family members, he... Hurt them enough to be sent to a place where bad people go."

"He's in jail, isn't he?" Cas mumbled.

"Yes, Castiel." He said. Cas closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before falling forward into his father's chest, wrapping his arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder, inaudible words falling from his lips and drowning into the fabric of his father's shirt.

***

 

"Castiel, how have you been?" The soothing and low voice of Dr. Anna Milligan was the only voice in the silent room. Cas responded with a low "fine, thank you" and sat down in the chair across from her. Gabriel had been pestering him about not wanting to go to his therapy sessions, telling him that they have indeed been helping him, but Cas still refused to show any sign in actually liking it there.

"How has your week been since the last time we met?" She asked.

"Like any other week." Cas said simply.

"Has Alastair been calling you boys lately? Have you heard from him?"

"He made it quite clear he didn't want to speak with us."

"Castiel, he is your father, and-"

"And you're my therapist, please understand that if I'm uncomfortable talking about my communication with my father, that I do not want to speak about it. His attitude towards us was just something that I couldn't call my father anymore." The risen voice had no affect on Anna, she was quite used to Cas getting frustrated when talking about Alastair.

"I do understand." She said. "But I do have my questions, and since you've only been my patient for a month, you haven't told me anything that I could use to help you. Please, speak to me, and tell me about your problems with your father."

"I would rarely call them problems, its his alcoholism that turns him into a mumbling and brainless human being that can't even say two words without slurring them together." Cas said bitterly.

"Its better than not telling me at all, that's the farthest we've got in two weeks." Anna said. "How did this attitude with him start?"

"When I was nine. So... About, seven years ago? That's when my older brother went berserk, its like something in his head just snapped and he killed."

"I was only told he murdered your brother Lucifer and your aunt, how old was he when he did this?"

"He was eighteen, just graduated and stuff, and he and Lucifer were wrestling and all of a sudden, Lucy wasn't breathing, and then my aunt was stabbed to death." Cas said it like he was talking about the weather, he'd had to explain to multiple people this. Curious assholes, mostly.

"When did the problems with your father begin? Not too long ago, I assume?"

"No, they started about three years after the incident. But we ignored it, you know? Our grandpa was a police officer and our uncle was always willing to take us in after mom died, we never really worried about our dad doing something rash, because he _knew_ that if he did anything that he'd regret, that'd be his big screw-up, and we'd get taken away."

"But you two did get taken away, how recently?"

"Well, when I say the problems with dad started four years ago, they were just minor compared to now. We would notice small things, like he would stop coming out of his study as often, only to tell us small things or ask what we wanted for dinner that night. We never really payed mind to it, the years before that, he was so caring, especially towards me, always asking how my day went with a smile on his face." Cas took a deep breath, and Anna let him continue, this was about ten times better than any other day. "Then Gabriel started seeing an empty liquor bottle in the trash can about once a week, and he told me about it. We started to worry, and we would check in on him in his study a lot, and we ended up asking _him_ every day how _his_ day went, to just to make sure he was still sober enough that day to respond."

"How long have you been separated from him, though?" Anna asked.

"We've been living with our uncle for two years now. He took us in after my friend from school told the teacher about my... appearance, and she had the school call the police, and when my grandpa started putting pieces together, he would stop by our house for dinner at least four times a week. He caught my dad when he was hitting Gabriel, and we've been away from him ever since."

"If I'm doing the math correctly, you've been living with him while he was abusing you two for two years before the police were involved?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't as bad then. Gabriel mostly hit back at that point, and my dad was too drunk to fight him so he just stumbled into his study and slammed the door shut and stayed there over night. It was really basic back then, things weren't too physical, we'd get slapped every now and then, but then I invited my friend Uriel over to play some video games and I forgot to do the dishes that night, since we had an extra guest, and my dad got real mad. He punched me, and I was really shocked, I locked myself in my room and finally came out when he sobered up and apologized like crazy, it didn't even leave a mark.

"But, it got worse. He started hitting Gabriel too, and leaving bruises on us, and I even was bullied for a solid week at school for wearing a turtleneck because there were bruises on my neck from my dad, but I ignored them, just to cover it all up. When our grandpa started visiting, it was when Gabriel was opening a pickle jar and knocked a glass off the counter with his elbow, and it shattered on the floor, and it was enough to bring my grandpa's attention, he walked in on my dad when he hit him, and started threatening to make him pick it up with his bare hands. It was scary, watching my grandpa take my dad down like he did, and eventually he was put in jail, a five year sentence. Three more to go, and we're living with our uncle." Cas asked if he could have some of the water on the coffee table in front of him. Anna told him it was there just for him, and he smiled slightly as he poured himself a glass.

"You seem very nonchalant about it, very calm, do you express your emotions in a healthy way?" Anna said, wanting to know whether or not he had begun to hurt himself.

"Trust me, I don't do anything drastic, I normally tell Gabriel when I'm feeling off, and he helps me like nothing else. I swear, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have made it this far. Either my dad or myself would've killed me by now."

"Now, Castiel, don't say that. Gabriel has done a great deal helping you, of course, but one thing I can't tolerate is suicidal thoughts, you promise me you will tell me when you're feeling those things again, okay?"

"I promise, don't worry." Cas said.

"Castiel, do you send or receive letters from your father in prison?" Anna asked.

"I thought about sending him one, I even wrote it out, but then I told Gabriel what I was thinking about doing and he told me it was best to get him out of our heads, what he's done is too far, and I really do agree. I don't look forward to the day he's let out."

"But has he tried contacting you?"

"If he's sent anything, I bet my uncle has thrown it away before I could even find out. He gets the mail every day after work and looks through it, I'm sure anything my father could have sent was in a pile of junk mail when it reached our house."

"Have you asked your uncle what the situation will be like when you graduate?"

"He sent Gabriel to college when he graduated, my uncle's super loaded, owns his own company, and I think he's finishing his first year in two months. But the same is for me when I graduate from high school, I'm gonna be sent to a good college, do good there, and Gabe said he'd actually offer to let me stay with him until I get my dream job, with that degree I could get in anywhere if I tried."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan. Do you have an idea what you'd like to be when you graduate college?" Anna said.

"I have no idea. I'm actually very interested with, um... It's pretty silly, but I love birds. I love the idea of a creature like that being able to go anywhere they want to with just a flap of their wings. Their wings it what interests me the most, it intrigues me so much."

"One final question: your brother has told me to discuss something with you, he's told me you've been experiencing nightmares, and that would seem normal, but he mentioned the word 'again'. They've happened before?"

Cas sighed lightly. "Yeah, but they're... Normal, considering what's happened. And its always the same, it starts with me when I was nine, and instead of hearing that loud bang that killed Lucifer, I hear this deafening scream, and when I look up, I see Lucifer and my aunt on the floor, and Michael's bloody torso standing over them, and I'm all alone there. Gabriel and Balthazar were there, but not in the dream, I'm always alone. And when I look around, I'm suddenly somewhere else, and I realize I'm with my dad when he was drunk past communication, and he's just wailing on me, and I can't stop him. They stopped when he went to jail, but they started up again." Cas said. "I don't know why, but all I know, from what Gabriel told me, is that I start screaming in my sleep, but I'm not anywhere close to screaming in the dream, I actually can't speak in the dream. But I've waken him up a lot, though the house our uncle lives in is pretty huge, we still shared a room while he was there. I just felt... Safer."

***

 

"Where is Castiel going to stay after he graduates?" Alastair spoke into the phone, and Gabriel sat on the other side of the glass separating the prisoner from his son.

"He's going to stay in Florida, Chuck is offering to pay the first three months rent at a new apartment until his job starts paying him full-time." Gabriel said back coldly. He didn't want Alastair sending letters to the house in fear of Cas responding to him, so he made a deal to visit him once a week to tell him what's been happening.

"What about you, have you settled down?" Alastair said. Gabriel clenched his jaw.

"I haven't married yet, no."

"Castiel, has he found someone?"

"Castiel doesn't speak to anyone enough to form a relationship, but he chooses to stay alone most of the time."

Alastair was silent. He wanted to apologize but the last time he did that, Gabriel nearly punched him through the glass, telling him he had quite the nerve to say that to him when it was Castiel whom he'd damaged the most.

"You, um, you mentioned Castiel had a job. Where does he work?"

"He took up a job at the police department where grandpa used to work. I thought it was a great idea. He only works part-time, he needs enough time for school." Gabriel said. Alastair nodded. "I might ask him to come live with me though, there's a police station nearby he could work at if he chose to. He likes to feel safe. Plus, having family close never really hurt anyone." Gabriel, for as long as he lived, would never let it go.

"Is he still taking therapy?"

"He stopped once he started college. Didn't want to be the weird one in his classes. He's getting really better."

"When can I see him? He's still my son."

Gabriel saw red. White-hot flames fell over Alastair as he kept himself from screaming at him.

"He's doing better, and I'd like to keep it that way. You'd only make it worse, Alastair." Gabriel said his name like he'd pitied him. But Alastair knew better than to think Gabriel would actually feel bad for him. "My break ends soon, I'm gonna leave." There was no response or stare, Gabe only put the phone back on the receiver and got up to leave. The security guards told him his time was up, and Alastair was walked back to his cell.

***

 

"Are you sure you're feeling comfortable, Cas?" Gabriel asked his little brother, and he responded with a small smile and a nod. "You know, you seemed a little on edge after dad was released last week."

"I'm just... Nervous." Cas said.

"Of what?"

"What if he finds us?" Cas shifted on the couch he was sitting on, he was studying for his exams, the end of his first year in college was coming up, and he liked studying in the family room of his uncle's house where he used to live, but had now moved into a dorm room.

"He's not allowed in the house without uncle Chuck's permission, you know that." Gabriel said.

"But what if I run into him outside the house? What if he comes to campus and I run into him at college?" Cas said, and he shut his book. "Just knowing that he could be anywhere right now is... Really unsettling."

"You're gonna be fine, Cas. What do you think he's gonna do, he wouldn't dare lay a hand on you again." Gabe said. Cas smiled and closed his book.

"You're right."

\---

"Want me to walk you to your dorm?" Hester Freely asked Cas when they were leaving their last class after offering to stay behind and clean up the chemistry mess. The sunset flowed in through the ceiling-tall window next to them and she stood with her books in both her hands crossed over her chest, and she was rubbing the toe of her flats on the ground in circles, flirty eyes looking up at him.

"I'm fine, Sam is probably waiting for me, I should hurry."

"Samandriel won't mind, I'm his friend too. He's in my religious studies class." Hester said, and Cas gave her a kind smile again before politely turning her down once again.

"I will see you tomorrow though." Cas said. That made her frown disappear into a faint smile.

"Yeah, I should probably do my laundry while the washers are free anyways. I'll see you tomorrow." She said. Cas nodded and walked in the opposite direction of her onto the courtyard. The sun had completely disappeared by that time.

"Fuck you, sun." Cas muttered. He walked halfway across the courtyard before someone stepped out from behind the fountain in the middle of the field.

"Castiel," they said. That voice was familiar, but somehow different, and Cas stopped to turn around. "Been a while since I've seen you, son."

Alastair stood sitting on the bench of the fountain with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. His hair looked grayer than the last time Cas saw him. Some of his teeth were gone, and there were new scars on his face and some creeping up his neck. He was wearing a grey long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans, or maybe it just looked that way in the dim glow of the moon overhead.

"Dad," Cas whispered, and he just about dropped his books. Then he cleared his throat. "Alastair. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see my youngest son, and Gabriel wouldn't let me." Alastair said. "You've grown up so much."

"Yeah, it's been five years." Cas said. _I don't think he'll apologize... But I do expect at least one "sorry"._ Cas thought. He turned to face Alastair, but didn't take another step towards him. "Really, though... Why'd you come here?"

Alastair smiled again. "I thought... I mean, I had five years, of course I thought about it, but I realized that everything I did to you and Gabriel, it was out of such frustration..." He said,and Cas had to look at the ground. "I found out why."

Cas looked up and asked him with his expression.

"It was how clueless you were." Alastair still had that smile on his face. "You were nine when it all started, and you couldn't put the pieces together that your brother was dead. We helped you figure every last thing like you were a child, it was driving me insane, and it drove me to drink, it drove me to where I am now."

"What are you trying to say?" Cas whispered.

"I spent five years in jail because of you," he said. "I've come to terms with what's happened; it's all your fault, Castiel."

"Shut up," Cas said. "That's not true, and you know it."

"But it is," Alastair took a step toward him, and he slowly walked closer and closer to him, but Cas was too busy looking at the ground to notice. "I would never do something that insane without something provoking me, and it was you."

Cas had already finished blaming himself years ago, but this was turning into his nightmare. _It really was my fault, I'm not the only one who thinks so_.

"You know, I can't just let someone who's made the past few years of my life hell, not pay for it, can I?" Alastair was just a few inches from him now, and Cas finally saw him when he was close enough that he could see his feet standing before him. He decided to make a break for it; he threw his books on the ground and turned, but Alastair grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him to the ground. Cas yelped in pain, and Alastair covered his mouth with his hand.

"This is already hard enough, you being older and harder to fight, but its not impossible." He whispered. Cas watched with a scared-shitless face as he pulled a pocketknife from his back pocket. "A buddy taught me this trick," he said as he flicked it open and held the edge to Cas' cheek. "He taught me where to cut when you wanna give pain," he pressed the sharp blade to Castiel's cheek and dragged it down three inches, his groans drowned out by Alastair's hand. "And where to cut when you wanna kill, but that's not my goal right now."

_Right now._

He took the blade from Cas' face, and beads of blood formed along the long slash on his cheek. He moved lower, just above his jawline. "This one's supposed to hurt like a mean one," Alastair said, and he pressed harder than before onto his skin, cutting a large gash above his jaw from the corner of his mouth to his ear in one straight line.

Cas screamed into his hand, a line of tears falling from the corner of his eye.

"Don't be upset, Castiel, remember that you put this on yourself."

Alastair heard only the muffled words _"That's not true!"_ and he frowned, letting the knife fall into the grass and he slapped Castiel with the back of his hand.

"You shouldn't lie to people." Alastair said. Cas didn't respond, he only looked in fear at his father towered on him, the sting on his cheek of his hand, and he was suddenly back in his old house, a child again, living in secret in a household where he feared stepping out of his room. He didn't think he'd feel that way again, but here he was, feeling so small and vulnerable.

And it scared him to death.

"I'm doing this because I care too much about you, Castiel, too much to allow you to do such a horrible thing to a person again." Alastair said. He picked up the knife again and travelled down to his neck. He cut a thin line below his chin, but not killing him. Cas wanted to scream again, but he was still stuck in the horrors of his childhood.

"Hey!" A janitor leaving the building shouted from a hundred feet away, dropping the items in his hands and running towards them both. Alastair didn't look up. He wrapped both his hands around Castiel's neck and closed his eyes.

"You always said you'd love to see your brother again. Now that you think about it, wouldn't it be nice to see them after all these years?" Alastair whispered. Cas pried at his hands, desperate to get his fingers off of his neck.

Suddenly the pressure was gone, and Alastair was tackled off of him. Once he was gone, Cas gasped in a deep breath, turning to his side and coughing, wheezing, and trying to breathe in as much air as he could. The cuts on his face stung and he neck was sore, bruises identical to when he was in middle school were painted on his neck.

The janitor didn't ask questions; he punched Alastair over and over until he felt he'd had enough, then picked him up by his collar and kicked his stomach, sending him stumbling backwards away from him. "If I ever see you on this campus again, I'm calling the police!" He said. Alastair backed away, his legs wobbling beneath him as he stumbled back a few feet. The janitor turned back to the Castiel, helping him to his feet and taking a look at the cuts on his face. "We may need you get you to a hospital, son, get those things stitched up."

There was a gunshot, and the janitor's eyes focused on Alastair standing about thirty feet away, a gun in his hands and pointed to them both. He watched his hand on Castiel's back as it started to cover in the young boy's blood.

Multiple people from all over the building exits--a good portion of them campus police officers--started coming out and running to the courtyard.

"Someone call an ambulance!" The janitor screamed, and one of the officers dialed the nearest hospital for an ambulance to be sent over, and four other officers darted to Alastair and one tackled him to the ground, kicked the gun from his hands and started cuffing him. Meanwhile, late-working teachers who had heard the shot was helping the janitor get Castiel to his stomach, the bleeding bullet wound pouring blood. Ambulance sirens could already be heard, and soon they would be seen.

"Is he gonna live?" The janitor asked.

"I sure hope so," the teacher said, and she placed a ring of pressure around his wound, Castiel having been passed out from the pain of the bullet hitting his right shoulder. Students started coming out by the numbers from the dorm building, some in their pajamas, who were woken up either by the gunshot or their conscious roommates.

***

 

"And what'll happen to Alastair?" Gabriel, with tears in his eyes, asked sheriff Jody Mills the question while they were both sitting on a bench outside his little brother's hospital room.

"Since he just got out of a five-year sentence for child abuse and a week later had pulled an armed weapon out and shot his son, whom he was abusing, he has another ten years ahead of him before he'll be able to walk these streets." Jody said.

"Only ten?" Gabriel said, and he covered his mouth before he sobbed again and looked back up at her.

"I'm sorry, Gabriel, if Castiel was still a minor when he'd attacked him then it would be for life, but he's nineteen, he's an adult now." She said. "I tried to do all I could. I'm sorry."

"Its fine." Gabriel wiped his eyes and stood up. "Let's hope this is the longest ten years of Alastair's life."

Jody cracked a smile. "We can always dream, Novak." She said goodbye to him before leaving and Gabriel went back in Castiel's room, where he was alive and well and sentences to be release next week. He just hoped both of them could make it till then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo that took some effort and I hope you don't hate me right now  
> I should get some sleep because I have a test tomorrow and I still need my shower and its 11  
> check back in a couple days for the next chapter or subscribe to the story because I write it a lot at school and edit when I get home before posting  
> make sure to look at the tags every now and then to see if I've updated them or I'll just tell you in the beginning notes like I did, and sometimes (because I cant make up my fUCKING mind) ill go back to the previous chapters and update them  
> examples: castiel's age is now 29 instead of 26 because I cant do math when counting up years, and I removed Balthazar's mention in the first/second chapter because of reasons  
> ugh I need a shower, love you all for reading this and every kudos means a lot, and don't hesitate to leave a comment because they really do mean a lot to me, because remember: you're opinion MATTERS


	12. An Old Friend

Silence between the brothers.

"And now, our dad is getting out three months early." Gabe said.

"Why?" Dean started. "Why, because of... Of _good behavior?_ Bullshit!"

"Dean-"

"He abused you two, out of his own drunken mind, but sure, let him out due to good behavior. That makes sense." Dean scoffed.

"I know its frustrating, especially for you Dean, but now that you know, I need your help calming Castiel down."

"Anything," Sam said for him.

"Alastair knows where I live, and I guarantee he's going to visit us as soon as he gets out. Can Cas please--please--stay here until I figure out what the fuck to do." Gabe said.

"That's fine." Dean said. _If I see this fucking guy I'll kill him, I swear to God, Cas, I'll kill him._ Dean thought about his own words and what he just told himself. _Could I actually kill a person? For what he did to own sons, could I bring myself to kill Alastair Novak? Don't be crazy, you're not a murderer._

"Jesus, this is getting out of hand." Gabriel sighed. "I had three months to figure this out, now I've only got two weeks, and I don't have the slightest idea to what the fuck I'm doing."

"I might."

The familiar voice caught Gabriel's attention and he looked up to see his missed cousin standing in the open doorway.

"Who are you?" Dean said.

"Name's Balthazar. Which one of you is Dean?" He asked. Dean raised his hand. "Ah, so you're the one who Cassie has been going on about. He called me up, just now, asked me to come to this house."

"Balthazar works at the police station with Cas," Gabriel said. "But... He's an officer."

"And when I got a call asking if Alastair should be let out early, I nearly cursed at the man on the phone, and told him to forget it. But then Jody got involved, and getting on the sheriff's bad side _is not_ smart, nor an option." Balthazar sighed with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"I thought... Maybe he could help." Cas said in the doorway behind him.

"Cas sounded quite terrified on the phone. Has Gabriel already discussed Cas staying here until we can make sure Alastair won't try to reach him?"

"Wh-?" Cas looked at Dean and Gabriel. "Stay here?"

"We don't know whether he'll try to hurt you again or not, and he knows you're living with me."

"Staying here would make me a burden." Cas muttered. Balthazar frowned.

"That's a lie. If you don't stay here then you might get hurt, and I'll be damned if I let him hurt you in any way more than he already has." He said. "You're safe here."

"I'm not safe anywhere!" Cas yelled. "He always finds what he's looking for, and if he's looking for me, he _will_ find me."

"He won't touch you," Dean spoke. "As long as I'm fucking _breathing_ , he won't hurt you again, I promise."

A smile slowly made its way across Cas' face, and he covered his mouth with his hand before a sob could slip, and Dean wrapped his arms around him, and Cas started crying into his shoulder. Dean hugged him tight and Cas continued to cry into his shoulder. Sam, Gabriel, and Balthazar had left the study and Cas was allowed to speak.

"I love you, Dean, and I thought finally, I'd met someone who could take my mind off my father..." Cas took a deep breath. "But now I dragged you into it, and I'm so sorry, Dean."

Dean hesitated. "Don't apologize. I'd do anything to help just know, that if he ever hurts you again like that, I swear I'll kill him."

"Dean, come on, don't say that. You're a doctor." Cas said. "You shouldn't joke about death."

"I know," Dean sighed. "I just can't imagine something like that ever happening to you. And you're own father-" Dean closed his eyes and shut his mouth, running Cas' back from underneath his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin against his fingertips even though Cas stated he was cold.

"I've been good about hiding the scar." Cas mumbled. Dean slid his right sleeve down to expose the back of his shoulder. A bullet-shaped scar stood out from the rest of his skin. Dean broke down at the sight of it, gripping at his shirt and sobbing into his hair.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Cas."

***

*2 weeks later*

 

Cas had temporarily been staying with the Winchesters for three days now. Alastair was now out of prison, once again, and Cas was constantly on edge. Someone would enter the room and he'd turn his head immediately. Something would touch his shoulder and he'd flinch. Dean would brush the hair from his forehead n his sleep to calm him down once he started having nightmares again.

_"NO!"_

The screaming woke Dean up instantly, his eyes flying open and staring at the ceiling.

"Liar!" Dean looked over at Cas who was tossing his head from side to side, he eyes shut tight and sweat on his cheeks.

"Sam! Dean!" Cas screamed their named like he was desperate for his life. Dean reached over and put his hand on his neck, feeling his pulse almost vibrate through his skin. He lowered his head down to Cas' ear.

"Cas," Dean whispered. "You're okay. You're okay, you're safe. Sam's safe. Gabriel's safe. I'm safe."

Cas tossed his head and whined. "Stop it!" Dean started wiping the hair that had fallen on Cas' forehead, moving it to the side and kissing his forehead softly.

Sam came running to his room and he threw the door open. "Dean!" He hissed.

"He's having a nightmare, Sammy, I'm trying to calm him down." Dean said. Sam watched as he ran his thumb across Cas' cheek, over the faint scar that he had finally noticed after such a long time. Cas stopped tossing his head and continued to mumble fragments of sentences.

_"Goodnight," Sam said finally. Dean kept his eyes on Cas and leaned down to his ear again._ Didn't he say his favorite song was by Don McLean? _Dean couldn't sing for shit, but if it calmed him down..._

"A long, long time ago, if I can still remember..." Dean started and he brought Cas' body closer to his, and Cas hooked his leg around Dean's. He continued to whisper the soft song into his ear until Cas' mumbling stopped.

"So bye-bye, miss American Pie, drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry, and them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye singin' 'this'll be the day that I die'."

Cas breathed calm now with his head on Dean's chest. "I love you, Cas."

Dean dropped Cas off at work in the mornings, his coworkers looked out for him during the day, and Dean picked him up after his shift.

And Cas would continue to avoid going outside for long periods of time for the same solid reason. "Just knowing he could be anywhere in the world right now, and I don't even know, is... Unsettling."

***

 

"Sam wants us to make spaghetti tonight," Dean said, a green basket in his right hand.

"What are we missing?" Cas asked, his hand locked with Dean's.

"We don't have any noodles," Dean looked around the isles of the Walmart supermarket.

"If you put garlic salt and Italian seasoning in the sauce then it tastes better."

Dean gave him a funny look. "Since when did you do that?"

"My mom taught me, she had pounds of seasoning around the house." Cas said. He reached over toward the shelf and picked a box of angelhair pasta and put it in the basket. "You know, if all of this Alastair drama finally stops for good, I might go back to school."

Dean looked surprised at him. "School? Cas, that's great! What are you gonna study?"

"Ornithology. I really like birds." Cas said. He gave an adorable/shy look and looked at his feet. "I've been wanting to make a career with them since I was in high school."

"That's great, Cas. I'm proud of you." Dean said. He placed a kiss on his cheek and Cas smiled up at him, pulling his face back down to meet his and kissing him on the lips for a brief second before looking behind them to make sure no one was watching.

"No one's gonna care." Dean said. "We're just kissing."

"I'm self-conscious about kissing in public," Cas said.

"Do you really think someone's gonna tell us we're not allowed to kiss?"

"Some of us are disturbed by it." A man who had just walked into the isle and was looking at the olives a few feet behind them said. Dean turned around to ~~politely~~ tell him to mind his own business.

"Frankly, dude, I don't care." He said. He put his arm around Cas' shoulder and was going for a kiss on his cheek but Cas' eyes were closed and his teeth were clenched, his fists balled up and his knuckles were white. In fact, he did look a little pale.

"Hey," Dean whispered. "Baby, what's wrong?" He failed to notice the man behind him lift his lips into a grin.

"Dean," Cas said just below a whisper. "Maybe we should just go get the sauce and leave."

The tone of Cas' voice. The terrified look on his face. The body language he was showing off. He looked in trouble. And what was it that made his react this way?

"Who are you?" Dean asked the stranger.

"My name's Alastair." He said. "Nice to finally meet you, Dean."

Sirens went off in Dean's head once he heard that name. Kinda like the revenge sirens in the first "Kill Bill" movie. His grip tightened on Cas' hand and he slightly nudged him forward and away from Alastair. Cas stood behind him, looking down at the ground and occasionally looking over Dean's shoulder at Alastair.

"How do you know my name?" Dean said.

"Its a crime to know the name of your son's boyfriend?" Alastair whispered he word _boyfriend_ like it was some type of secret that he was holding, still with that wicked smile on his face.

There was a list of things he wanted to say back. _No, but its a crime to treat your children like shit and speak to them after fifteen years; Well, I wouldn't exactly call him your son anymore; Only when your son's boyfriend wants to rip your lungs out._

"Listen, Alastair," Dean said. "I've got only one thing to say to you," Dean let go of Cas' hand, with much protest from the blue-eyed man, and leaned towards Alastair, purposely invading his space, because he didn't care. "Don't you come anywhere near Cas again." He said into his ear. Cas kept his head low, looking up only at Dean, but he did catch glimpse of Alastair's smile fade.

Dean stepped back, keeping his eyes on him, and he took Cas' hand again, looking over his shoulder as he walked away, and eventually looked ahead of him, knowing he'd run into Alastair again in the near future. But until then, he'd keep him away from Cas. He was sure of that. His words wouldn't be heard by Cas, his appearance wouldn't be seen by Cas, and his smell wouldn't be sensed by Cas.

Or Dean would most definitely kill him.

 


	13. Dress Rehearsal

*10 days before*

Cas was practically wheezing, his chest heaving and his face still drained from color. After their run-in with Alastair, Dean had ditched their basket and they ran for the parking lot where Dean sped them home as fast as he could and busted them through the front door, Cas a near sobbing mess in his arms.

"Whoa, whoa, what happened?" Sam asked. He hopped off the couch and ran over to the front door.

"Alastair was at Walmart." Was all Cas got out.

"He started talking to us," Dean said. "Traumatized Cas, I tried to get us out of there as fast as I could."

"Shit did he do anything to you guys?"

"No," Dean said. "I swear, Sammy, I was this close from punching him in that God forsaken face of his."

"He doesn't have any warrant at all about staying away from Cas?"

"What do you mean?" Cas spoke up.

"Well, normally, if he's this much of a threat to you, since he did shoot you, I figured the station would have a warrant where he can't go, say, a hundred yards near you?" Sam said. "There should be one."

"No one fucking told us if there is." Dean said.

"That's ridiculous." Sam led them three into the kitchen and Dean poured Cas a glass of ice water. Cas gripped onto the back of his chair, and Sam looked him over before turning to Dean.

"Is he having a panic attack?" He said. Dean turned around and his face hardened.

"Shit, I think he is." Dean didn't say it in a oh-my-god-this-is-bad way, but more of in a shit-not-again way.

"Fuck, I've only dealt with this one other time," Sam dropped to his knees and placed himself in front of Cas. Dean turned off the water and told him to move aside and open the medicine cabinet, and to get ready to hand him anything in there. Dean knelt in front of Cas who was grabbing onto the seat of his chair tightly and breathing short and harsh breaths.

"Okay, Cas, look at me, can you look at me?" Dean put his hands on his legs and Cas let his eyes meet Dean, and then he nodded. "Good, now let's slow your breathing. Count to ten, out loud."

Cas closed his eyes, his breathing getting more erratic.

"Cas, open your eyes."

A few seconds went by, and he still had his eyes shut tight.

"Castiel, open your eyes, look at me."

_He's helping you, Cas, just listen to him_. Cas thought to himself. _But his voice is in my head, Alastair's voice is in my head, and he's not making any sense. I'm scared if I open my eyes he'll be standing in the room. But no, I trust Dean._

"Cas, I know what you're feeling is scary, but its not dangerous, you're not in any danger whatsoever, you're here with me and you're here with Sam."

He opened his eyes finally, meeting Dean's gaze again.

"Great," Dean made him lose his grip around the seat of the chair and he let Cas squeeze his hands instead. "Now you're gonna count to ten with me, okay?"

Cas nodded. "One." Dean said. Sam, on the other hand, watched in amazement as Dean knew exactly what to do with Cas.

"Two." Cas said after him. His breathing slowed after his first word.

"Three." Dean said after a few seconds.

Cas' grip loosened. "Four."

"Five." Dean continued. "You're doing great, Cas."

He nodded. "Six." _Alastair isn't here. Dean is here, Sam in here, but not Alastair, and he can't hurt you. He won't hurt you again, that's what Dean said, and you trust Dean more than anyone._

"Seven."

"Eight." Cas' head had stopped feeling like it was going to blow, and his chest was untightening, his heart rate slowing down to a regular pace.

"Nine."

"Ten."

***

*9 days before*

 

Dean was extremely regretting having to go to work the morning after. He thought the last thing he needed to do right now was leave Cas' side. Not only did Alastair show up out of the blue after five years in prison, but he had just repeated his actions _ten_ years after being in prison, who knows what he would have done if Dean hadn't been there with him.

"Don't panic, okay?" Dean said. "If you have another attack, just think about where you are. You're in a police station, no way in hell he'll come near you."

Cas nodded. But in his head, he wasn't doubting Alastair would show up. He'd been told those same words by different people, and Alastair always show up. Always.

As they said their goodbyes in the car, Dean held onto his wrist before he left.

"Hey Cas," Dean said. "I know I talked about it before, but I really am going to try and get some kind of warrant against him."

"Dean, don't you think that's going overboard?"

"Honestly, no." Dean stated. "He's done so much to you and Gabriel. I'm not letting him do any more."

There was silence between them. Dean let go of his wrist, and Cas leaned over and closed the distance between them, and Dean pressed their mouths together. He grabbed Cas by his hips and pulled his closer and on his lap.

"Dean," Cas said harshly, he could already feel the attention Dean was giving to his dick as it stiffened in his jeans. _We can't do this here, we're in a parking lot, and I'll be late for work!_ "I'll be fine, I promise."

"But I gotta do something about it." Dean said. "If its the last thing I do, I'll stop him from doing anything else to you, for sure. Okay?"

Cas thought for a moment before running his fingers down Dean's cheek and holding his jaw. "Okay, alright." He said back.

Dean smiled and reached his head up to kiss him again. "Great. Now, come on, go to work, before we do something that'll make us both late." The corner of his mouth quirked up, and Cas just had to kiss him again before stumbling out of the car door with the ghosting touch of Dean's hands on his hips and sex hair--he could not trust Dean to make out with his without making it seem like they did it, now could he?

***

*7 days before*

 

"I think you and Cas should have matching costumes." Sam teased. He held up the Party City magazine with kids in Halloween costumes holding candy bowls with creepy grins on their faces.

"We could double date with you and Gabriel." Dean teased back. Sam's smile disappeared and Gabriel snorted next to him.

"I think you'd be a cute _doctor_ , wouldn't you, Sam?" Gabriel ran his fingers up to the back of Sam's neck and threaded his fingers through his hair. He twirled a strand of his hair on his finger and Cas giggled silently.

"Ah yes, the doctor dressing as... a doctor. Very original." Sam said. Dean smiled over at Cas who was sitting next to him on the couch, his back to the arm of the chair and his legs resting on Dean's lap. Sam was sitting in the armchair next to the living room doorway with Gabriel in his lap, his legs hanging over the opposite side of the chair.

"Well," Cas leaned his head back and closed his eyes, the late night (if you call 10 p.m. for adults "late") making his drowsy. "Sam could dress as a nurse..." Cas giggled and hid his laughter. "And Gabriel could always dress as the doctor."

Dean gave a burst of laughter before turning to Sam, his voice still rich from it. "Aweee. That's adorable."

"Yeah, well what about two?" Sam said. Cas opened one of his eyes and looked down at his green-eyed boyfriend.

"What're your ideas?" Dean asked.

Cas thought for moment. "Why are we dressing up, again? Do we even have any kids to take trick-or-treating?"

Okay, they all thought that was a good point.

"Isn't the hospital having a Halloween party?" Came that mysterious accented voice.

"Damn it," Dean, obviously startled, looked behind him suddenly and popped his neck, rubbing it with his hand while Balthazar smirked behind him.

"Sorry, did I forget to knock again?" He said. He leaned against he door frame and looked at the four men. "I just thought, you two being doctors and all, you'd know about the party the hospital was holding."

Dean continued to rub his neck and complain while Sam answered for him. "I don't remember anyone saying anything about it. Do you know who's gonna be there?"

"I don't know, I don't work there." Balthazar said.

"How'd you even get in?" Dean said.

"That's besides the point, Deanie Weanie," Balthazar said, and ignored Dean's insult ("the fuck did he just call me?") continuing his chat with Sam. "I think us going to the party would be splendid. You and Gabriel dressing as a doctor and his nurse would be absolutely adorable, would it not?"

"Well, what about us?" Dean said.

"Sick patients," Balthazar muttered. "Perhaps... A police officer," he motioned to Cas "and the criminal he caught," he looked down at Dean, who was giving it quite a thought.

"I think it'd be adorable." Sam said just above a whisper so Dean could hear him and make any sarcastic comment he wanted ("do you now, Samsquatch?")

"What would a criminal outfit even look like?" Cas asked his cousin.

"I don't know... Black and white striped jumpsuit? Chains around his ankles? I'm going off movies here." Balthazar said, and Dean actually laughed. "I thought it would work, considering Cas' work, but hey, that's just my opinion."

Dean scoffed. "This certain opinion coming from a dude who can sneak into my house quieter than a floating mouse. How'd you even get a key?"

"I thought it would be smart to have one, in case I need to get in. You never know, Winchester." Balthazar responded.

"Okay, but where'd you get it?"

"The tall one," Balthazar said. Dean returned one of Sam's many bitchfaces (#19 "Thanks for not asking me, bitch") and sighed before looking back at the blonde fellow standing a few feet away from him.

"And what are you doing for Halloween?" Dean asked him.

"Taking my niece trick-or-treating." Balthazar bowed. "My sister has working, unfortunately we don't get work off on most Saturdays, and since I do, I'm being a nice brother." He said.

"You've got a niece?" Sam piped up.

"Yeah, our other cousin Naomi." Gabriel yawned, his sleepiness visible. "She's got a daughter, named her Cynthia, after John Lennon's first wife."

Dean made a face. "Why?"

"Beatlemania, dude. Plus, Cynthia Lennon was absolutely _beautiful_ , even I'd be honored to be named after her." Gabriel responded. He yawned yet again. "I'm _tireeeddddd_. Balthazar, how late do you plan on staying?"

"Oh, I'm just dropping by." He said. Cas followed Gabriel in his train of yawning and he covered his mouth, his eyes falling closed. Dean traced his fingers up and down his legs, making him smile and giggled and swat at his hands. "I guess this is my goodbye, then, seeing you sleeping beauties."

"We love you too, Balthazar." Sam said. He scoffed before saying goodbye again and turning for the front door, leaving with a shut of the door. Dean moved Cas' legs off his lap and picked him up, carrying him to their room and laying him down on the bed. Sam did the same with Gabriel, being careful with his leg, and the two Winchesters said goodnight to eachother before joining their own boyfriends in sleep.

 


	14. This is Halloween

*3 days before*

 

While Dean and Cas were back at the house, Sam and Gabriel were at the store instead, buying their Halloween candy to take to the party that Sam had asked about around work. The four boys were now going, and Cas said it might be a good idea to bring some food since its a polite thing to do, and the stuff that doesn't get eaten can be taken back home and given to the teenagers who choose to go trick-or-treating near midnight.

"Cas was very specific about what he wanted to get," Gabriel mumbled to Sam as they strode down the candy isle, looking at the shelves of candy, all the way from chocolate to gummy, from hard candy to gum, mint gum and bubble gum and everything in between. Gabriel's mouth watered upon entering the isle.

"See anything you like?" Sam asked.

"The only things I _don't_ like are the dark chocolates. Everything else--heaven." Gabe said. Sam chuckled and swung the green basket around in his hand, taking some gummy Spongebob krabby patties and tossing them in the basket. Gabriel took two packs of milk chocolate Dove and put them in the basket.

The went and grabbed all the candy on Castiel's list, putting them in the basket until the basket was getting too heavy for Sam to handle. There were 3-Muskateers, Milky Ways, Snickers, Gummy Bears, Sour Gummy Worms, Kit-Kats, Rolos, Butterscotches and everything else Gabriel thought was necessary (so basically half the candy).

"You know, I always loved the smell of the candy isle." Gabriel said.

"Why's that?" Sam questioned.

"Its a mixture of every last thing that's sweet and minty, put together with the moisture of the bread." Gabe said. Right across from the colorful combinations of candy and gum and lollipops were the various bread items. Sandwich bread, hamburger buns, hotdog buns, and every bread you could possibly find in a Walmart, right across from the candies.

"Ah, smell that? That's Halloween." Gabe said. Sam snorted silently and Gabe reached over for his hand, and they left with four full plastic bags of candy.

***

*2 days before*

 

"You know how hard it is to avoid getting any of that chocolate in the fridge?" Dean said, and he climbed into his and Castiel's bed, his wach telling he he should have been in bed half an hour ago.

"Touch that chocolate, see what happens." Cas said back. "We'll be the badest bitches at that party with all that candy." Dean laughed and reached over to Cas' side of the bed, turning his head to face him.

"I love you, you kow that?" He said.

"I know," Cas said back, "I love you too." He leaned down and kissed him, and Dean felt a rush of warmth spread from his lips and pulsated his cock beneath the blankets. He remembered his and Cas' chat in the Impala the other day, and where they left off. Dean put his hands on Cas' hips, hooking his thumbs on the hem of his sweatpants and feeling his skin there.

"Dean," Cas broke away from the kiss to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me when all of this Alastair crap is over for good, that you'll stay."

Dean looked back at him, getting lost in that sea of blue. "Why would I ever leave?"

"Shit's been crazy, you know? I wouldn't blame you."

"Cas, come on, don't say that." Dean tilted his chin up. "Tell you what... When Alastair is out of your life for good, will you promise to marry me?"

_Marry him? "Will you promise to marry me?"_

Absolutely. One promise I could never break.

"Alright." Cas agreed. "But you'll have to propose to me. This doesn't count."

Dean chuckled. "Whatever. As long as I know you'd say yes." He said. Cas kissed him one more time, and has his knees on both sides of Dean's hips, and he brought himself down to rub against his erection.

Dean groaned and bit his lip, pulling Cas' hips down more so he could feel him through their multiple layers of clothing. Cas kissed him roughly to distract him from his hands which were trying to free his cock from the restraining briefs he had on. Dean moaned into his mouth when Cas wrapped his hand around his length, stroking it excrutiatingly slowly. Dean slipped Cas' pants down to his thighs and off of his legs, putting his hands firmly on his hips, running his thumbs over the sharp curve of his hipbones.

"God," Dean whispered, he pressed his lips together, his attempt to stop himself from saying that out loud obviously failed. "You're so beautiful."

Cas smiled at him before pressing their lips together in another firey kiss. In the midst of it, he lowered himself down on Dean's cock, gripping onto his shoulders and neck as Dean proceeded to kiss him and run his hands up and down Cas' thighs, pulling them down to meet his waist. He kissed and sucked at Castiel's neck as he moaned and whimpered his name into his shoulder.

Cas could feel his orgasm building in the pit of his stomach and he sped up. Dean made sure to hit that sweet spot every time now, making pleasure from the stinging scratches Cas left of his torso, whether it was on his chest or neck of on his shoulders, they hurt, but they felt good.

Dean gazed up at him, his green eyes scanning over every inch of his face. His eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth fallen open, short and heavy and harsh breaths escaping his lips.

It had Dean coming just by the sight. It sent Cas over the edge with the feeling of Dean filling him up, and moaned his name all the way through his climax. They stayed that way for a couple minutes, Dean planting a couple of heavy kisses on Cas' lips before he slipped off of him, and Dean changed his shirt and slipped back into bed, where his blue-eyed boyfriend was already fast asleep and waited for Dean to wrap his arms around him and fall asleep next to him.

*1 day before*

 

Dean was looking around the hallway of the quiet hospital, having just finished with his third patient for the day. He kept getting stuck with the minorities in the hospita, he's been treating them quickly. It was exhausting, honestly.

"Dean," Charlie chimed from behind her desk. "You and Cas coming to the party tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You and Jo?"

"For damn sure." She said. "Jo's gonna be a firefighter."

"Ironic." Dean laughed. "Sam's going as a patient, Gabriel's gonna be the doctor."

"Ha!" Charlie giggled. "That's adorable."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Well," he sighed, "I'm gonna head downstairs for lunch. Page me if you need anything."

"Will do." Charlie said. He hung his coat up and travelled downstairs to the cafeteria.

***

 

"Novak, you wanna join me and Ash for lunch?" Bobby Singer, one of the top most police officers in the town, asked Cas when the lunch bell rang.

"Sure, where are you going?"

"Panera."

"Ooo, count me in."

***

 

The three men took a seat by the window with their food in their hands. Ash, with a mouth full of food, asked, "So boys, what are ya'll doin' for Halloween?"

"Jody and I are gonna stay in and give the candy." Bobby said.

"There's a party going on at the hospital where Dean works. We're going there for the night."

"Is Sam going?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah, he's bringing Gabriel. What about you, Ash?"

"I," He popped an invisible collar and smirked. "Am going hunting for candy."

Awkward silence.

"Excuse me?" Bobby said.

"Eye candy, fellas. The bar where my friend Ellen works is crawling with girls who don't dress up, don't go to parties; they only get drunk."

"That's horrible, Ash." Cas said.

"Actually, Ellen keeps the girls from getting too smashe, so they don't get hurt at night." Bobby said as he started tear away at his bread bowl. "After all, it is Halloween."

"Speaking of fun night," Ash not-so-discretely scooted closer to Cas and raised an eyebrow. "You doing anything tonight with Dean?"

Cas could almost feel the blush creep up his neck and fill his cheeks. Bobby just rolled his eyes.

"Leave the boy alone, Ash." He said. "It ain't none your busniess."

"Forgive me," Ash joked, and he stuffed his face with bread. "What time's the party?"

"It starts at nine, and it ends at around three in the morning." Cas said.

"Doctors really like to party, then." Bobby said as he ate.

"I think it'll be fun." Cas said. he checked his watch to see how much time they had left.

"Man, I've been starvin' all day." Ash said to himself.

"Bobby, you said you were giving out candy with Jody, is he doing alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine. She's been wanting me to ask you the same thing."

_Would it be wise to tell them about the run-in with Alastair? They might freak out._

"Actually, the other day... I kinda ran into Alastair at the store with Dean." Eyes went wide and food was almost dropped.

"Did he do anything?"

"Alastair? Nothing too bad, he didn't hurt me, thank God Dean was there. But he did scare the shit out of me, I had another panic attack. He just showed up out of nowhere." Cas said. "I can't do this, guys, knowing that he could show up anywhere when I'm outside the house, it scares me constantly. How do I know he won't turn up right now?"

"First of all, he knows not to fuck with the officer-best-friends around." Ash said.

"Second of all," Bobby continued, "He knows he's not allowed to be a hundred yards close to you. He could be thrown right back into jail for breaking that rule. How close was he to you at the store?"

"I doubt more than ten feet." Cas mumbled. Bobby stood up, putting all of his trash on the tray in front of him.

"The next time I see his parol officer, I'm tellin' him this, because he's not allowed that close to you, or Gabriel. And I'll be damned if he ever is that close to you again."

Cas tried to fight it, but he smiled. Knowing that there was the law on his side against Alastair made him feel a lot safer. The three left the cafe and made their way back to the police station.

*15 hours before*

 

"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey," Dean shook Cas to wake him up, and he shot up where he was sitting, looking over to Dean smiling widely like a huge dork. "Hi."

"Hi," Cas said back. "What time is it?"

"Nine," Dean leaned his head foreward to brush his nose against Cas', "I need a shower." He sighed. Cas raised his eyebrows when he said that, without Dean seeing him, and he followed him with his eyes as he stripped of his shirt while walking to the bedroom door. Dean even looked over his shoulder at Cas sitting on the bed, a dumbstruck look on his face.

"You okay?" Dean called, a giggle escaping his lips.

"You're fine," Cas mumbled. "What? I'm fine, _I'm_ fine, I'm okay, I didn't mean you were _fine_ , I meant... Um," Cas licked his lips and smiled. "You're hot."

Dean laughed, and Cas went red with embarrassment, but was still smiling. "Come on," Dean motioned for Cas to follow him, and he eagerly got out of the bed, untangling his feet from the blankets and scurrying to the door where Dean wrapped his arm around him and kissed him on the forehead.

And Sam just watched them with _"really bitch"_ faces from the front door where he was crossing from his study to the living room, and the two just happened to walk together into the bathroom when Sam saw them. _I know what you two are doing don't try to hide it, Moose always knows_. Sam thought as he continued into the living room, past the couches and into the kitchen where Gabriel was making coffee.

Since about two weeks ago, Gabriel was excused from using his crutches, but he still had to wear a hold on his leg that he was allowed to walk on, but nothing that would cause his muscles to expand (no exercising the leg too much, no running too fast, no kicking, no lifting heavy objects, ect.) so he was glad enough that he was able to walk on his own in time for Halloween night.

"You excited?" Sam asked him, and the obvious smile on his face grew wider.

"Definitely." Gabriel responded. "And Cas said you were going as a patient, I thought you were going as a nurse?"

"I'm the patient, you're the doctor." Sam confirmed. "And both of us, are dorks." He planted a kiss on his cheek and Gabe smiled, turning his head to the side to catch his lips in a kiss, tangling his fingers in his hair _that was super long holy shit has he ever cut it in his life?_ Gabriel thought to himself, and Sam picked him up by the hips and set him on the kitchen counter, so they were almost eye-level. Sam was still taller.

Gabriel stopped the kiss short, thinking of Dean or Cas walking in and scolding them for doing this in the kitchen. "Dean would be pissed if he knew we were making out in here. You know how he likes to keep the place clean."

"Dean," Sam took a fistful of Gabe's hair and pulled it back, exposing his neck and making a smile creep on his face. "Is in the shower."

"What about Cas?" Gabe whispered, the smile still on his face as Sam went to kiss his neck.

"Cas is with him."

Gabe chuckled, abandoning his own thoughts about how making out in the kitchen was wrong (it so wasn't) and swinging his arms around the back of Sam's neck, pulling him against his body and hugging him tightly as he pressed their lips together again and ran his tongue along his bottom lip.

"I wonder how you'd look dressed as a doctor," Sam breathed into his ear. His breath was hot against Gabe's skin, and it made him shiver and want to kiss him even more. He mentally cursed at himself for groaning and digging his nails in the back of Sam's neck, pulling at his hair. But Sam smiled, and even laughed, letting his hands rest calmly on Gabe's hips.

"I don't want to hurt your leg, Gabe." Sam said, and Gabe just huffed disappointment.

"You won't hurt my leg, I promise." He said back, but Sam just chuckled again and started to loosen his grip. Gabe put his hands over Sam's, keeping them where they were, and running his nose along his cheek and their foreheads barely touching. "You can't just get me all worked up like this and then leave."

" 'All worked up'? What do you mean by that, exactly?" Sam said.

"You're such a fucking tease," Gabe said back. "At least finish what you started."

Sam emitted yet another laugh. Gabe, on the other hand, frowned. He wasn't going to take that shit anymore. He smashed their lips together and palmed his dick through his sweatpants. Sam groaned and his hips bucked foreward into his hand.

"Okay, now you're teasing me." Sam mumbled. They kissed again, and Gabe hooked his fingers on the hem of Sam's pants. He snapped the elastic band on his underpants and reached down the front of them and grabbed his half-hard cock. Sam gasped, and ran his thumb over Gabriel's cheek and looked at his eyes before kissing him deeply.

It was then that the shower started, and the window of opportunity opened even more. Gabriel started running his hand up and down his length, feeling Sam's grip of his hips tightened. Sam bowed his head and let his forehead rest of Gabriel's shoulders. He panted against his shirt, groaning and gasping as he dug his nails into Gabe's hips.

He suddenly pulled him to the edge of the counter, grinding his waist against Gabe's groin. He moaned out and gave Sam's dick a last squeeze. Sam was coming over his hand with a low moan in his throat. Gabriel released him and wiped his hand on a towel hanging from the handle of the stove door. He went to run his fingers through Sam's hair, kissing him once more and their tongues slid across eachother (its what Gabriel loved most in their kisses) for a brief second before Sam broke the kiss.

"Please," Sam mumbled into his ear. "Allow me to return the favor."

Excitement pooled in the pit of his stomach, and he felt Sam's warm hands leave his hips and travel down his pants and wrap around his cock. He tilted Gabe's chin up so he could kiss him again, and he started stroking him, slowly at first. Gabriel bucked his hips upward, and Sam kept his hips pinned to the counter that he was still sitting on.

"Oh, God," Gabe gasped, and he grasped Sam's shoulders firmly while he left traces of kisses on his neck. He sucked and bit his neck, kissing his way up to his cheek and to his mouth, and he held his lips in place there. Gabe started to kiss him back when he felt his orgasm start to build up, scrunching his shirt at the shoulders as his grip tightened. He breathed against his mouth and sucked in a sharp breath as Sam squeezed his cock and continued. Sam started working him faster, keeping his hips firmly pinned to the counter, and Gabriel kissed him one more time, running his tongue along his lips and he came with a short groan followed by a whine against his ear.

Sam quickly took his hand from Gabe's pants and wiped it on the same towel, grabbing Gabriel, who was still a withering mess, by the hips and setting him on the floor, making sure he was set on his feet.

"You okay?" Sam mumbled into his ear. Gabriel breathed a few harsh breaths before nodding and smiling.

"Yeah," He said.

"Come on, there's a bathroom upstairs." Sam picked him back up, holding him across his chest and carrying him up the wide stairs and into the bathroom, where he kissed Gabriel lazily as they stripped their clothes off and climbed into the shower, washing off the come that had gotten onto their skin and stealing all the hot water from Dean and Cas' shower downstairs.

"They're gonna be so mad at us when we get out." Gabe said with a cute smile on his face. Sam smiled and chuckled down at him, sealing their lips in a kiss as the shower water poured down on them.

*6 hours before*

 

Cas took out the police uniform he borrowed from the station from the drawers and unfolded it. Dean walked into the room, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. He was twirling a pair of handcuffs on one finger, giving Cas a flirty look with his smile turned up in one corner, remembering their memories with them.

"Shut up, Dean." Cas giggled. He took his shirt off and tossed it into the hamper across the room. He put on and buttoned the blue officer uniform. He cursed under his breath as he picked up the black tie that came with it.

"You okay?" Dean said. Cas sighed, but nodded.

"Do you know how to tie one of these?" Cas held up the tie. Dean made his way over to him and took the tie from his hand. He turned his collar up and fastened the tie around his neck.

"Funny how you wear a tie almost every day for work, and yet you just now ask me to help." Dean said.

"Gabriel usually does it for me." Cas responded. Dean tightened the tie before righting his collar and straightening his shirt at the sleeves and taking his hands in his.

"Tonight'll be fun." Dean said to him. "I promise."

Cas smiled and nodded. "I know." He said back.

Dean leaned down to place a small kiss on his lips. "Speaking of him, where is Gabriel?" He mumbled.

"He should be in Sam's room getting changed."

"Oh, seeing him dressed as a doctor is going to be _hilarious_." Dean whispered _hilarious_ into his ear, and Cas giggled. "Sam told me he borrowed his jacket. Seeing that Samsquatch doctor robe on him is going to be even better."

"What exactly is Sam going to wear to be a 'patient'?"

"He's gonna wear those polka-dot dress robes, ya' know, the ugly ones that show your butt in the back?" Dean chuckled. Cas kept his laughter concealed but a small squeak escaped his lips as it broke into a grin.

"Please tell me he'll wear pants," Cas said.

"He wouldn't leave the house without them in that getup." Dean chuckled against his ear before kissing him on the cheek and leaving the room, going to the kitchen to get a beer while he waited for Sam and Gabriel to come out and show off their costumes. Cas came out about twenty minutes later with black slacks on and appropriate officer-type shoes that he really didn't under the concept of, but he saw all the officers around his work wear them, so he thought they mattered. His hair was parted on the side and it was neatly combed.

"You look more like a security guard than a street officer." Dean said. Cas smiled and straightened his pants before leaning against the counter next to him.

"Maybe I'd get one of those segways and become a mall cop." Cas joked. Dean snorted before taking a sip of his beer and they heard a nearby door open. They both looked at the doorway where Gabriel first appeared wearing blue scrubs and a white doctor's jacket. The sleeves were too long for him and they covered most of his hands.

"AWEE!" Cas cooed from the counter, meaning to make a joke. Sam followed him, showing up in another pair of blue scrubs with a white hospital gown on, tied it the back (where, without those pants, would totally exposed his butt) and Dean kept the beer bottle on his lips to mask his wide grin.

"Oh, my God," Dean said. "You two look. Adorable."

"Tell that to your officer there." Sam said back.

"What'r you in for?" Gabriel said to him.

"I tried to flirt with Cas to get out of a speeding ticket." Dean said simply before taking another swig of his beer and finishing it. Cas nodded along with the joke.

***

*1 hour before*

 

For a bunch of doctors and nurses, a lot of alcohol was brought to the hospital for the party. It took place in the cafeteria, the tables were moved and the food was in the kitchen, along with a counter where people could place the dishes that they brought from home. Cas was greeted by Ash when he showed up, along with a bunch of other co-workers. He was sure he would have enjoyed Jody and Bobby being there, but he knew that they were probably just as comfortable with staying in and giving out candy.

Dean greeted Charlie and Jo who were getting cupcakes from the kitchen. Jo was wearing a firefighter's hat, a yellow shirt, uniform pants with the suspenders on. On the front of her shirt read "I'm Too Hot (Hot Damn!)" and on the back it read "Call The Police And A Fireman". Charlie was trying to make fun of "Mean Girls" by dressing up as Karen, but really she just had her basic jeans, boots, red shirt with a blue jacket over it, but she had mouse ears on. When someone asked her what she was, she said, "I'm a mouse" and then would point to her ears and saying, "Duh!"

And Sam got a lot of laughs. About an hour in, after thirty people had laughed and said they loved the joke, he had gone completely red of embarrassment, considering hald of those people were eager to "get a view from the back" only to be disappointed.

"No one gets to see you that naked but me, remember." Gabriel mumbled to him. He, too, was giggled at, and many remarks were made about how the jacket was too big for him. He actually loved Charlie's comment the most, she saw him with a glass of wine in her hand and instantly said, "OH MY GOD THE SLEEVES ARE TOO BIG FOR YOUR WITTLE HANDSIES" and Sam proceeded to laugh his ass off.

At around 11:30, Cas excused himself from the cafeteria to go to the bathroom. He left the room with a smile on his face from the previous conversation he was having, and even laughed to himself when remembering the jokes he had heard on his way to the bathroom.

He did his business and looked at himself in the mirror. He fixed a few strands of hands that weren't alligned with the rest and tucked visible parts of his tie under his collar. He heard the door open while he was washing his face, and after drying it with a paper towel and standing up straight and looking in the mirror-

"This has to be the best party I've attended in fifteen years." Alastair chuckled. He had his arms crossed and he was leaning against the wall with the door behind him. He had stuck a plunger in the door handle.

_This has to be fake. There was no way he snuck in without detection._ Cas thought. But the bathroom he was in didn't pass the cafeteria. There was no security guard by the hospital entrance. And now it would be difficult for anyone to come in, if Alastair was to try anything.

Which is why Castiel is scared for his life right now.

 


	15. Penetrating Trauma

*30 minutes before*

Cas turned around to face him, his back pressed against the sink counter. He tried to steady his breathing but it immediately picked up. His heart was pounding in his throat. He wanted Dean. Ash. Charlie, Jo, anybody.

"You having fun?" Alastair asked. Cas didn't respond. He wishes he had his phone with him. "Come on, Castiel, I asked you a question." Cas debated whether or not he should say something back. Maybe if he talked for a long enough time to keep Alastairfrom hurting him, someone would notice him being gone for a while. _Its worth a shot_.

"Yeah," He said back. "I am having fun."

"Good, that's nice. Its Halloween, you should have fun." Alastair's voice was low, and just as creepy.

"Okay, Alastair," Cas held his breath and put on his best cut-the-shit voice. "Why are you doing this, why can't you just let go?"

"Because I can't let go, not until I get some type of revenge." He said. Cas scoffed, crossing his arms. He felt scared, but he had to try to hide it.

"You're insane." Cas said. "Its not my fault, can't you understand that? None of what happened was my fault!"

"I couldn't stand you the way you were! It _drove_ me to insantiy! _You_ drove me to insanity, and then you blame me for it."

"I'm your son!" Cas screamed at him. Silence followed him. "I just needed a dad to be there for me after my brother died." He said, his voice lower. "But I guess you couldn't even do that for me. So you drank until you couldn't even walk straight, and you blame me for it?" Cas scoffed. "You were a horrible father for what you did, Alastair."

"I did all of it because I couldn't take it anymore, the constant asking of 'where's Michael' and 'where's Lucifer' even though you _knew_ they were dead!"

"Don't you think I know that now?" They were screaming at eachother now. "God, you need so much help, Alastair. Why can't you let it go, its been over fifteen years, please, let them go."

"I've had years upon years to think about it, Castiel, and I can't just _let them go_!" He took a single step towards Cas, and he scrambled away from the sink and against the wall further away from him.

"You stay right where you fucking are!" Cas yelled at him.

And then Alastair laughed. "Or what? Dean'll come and save you? I'd love to see him try. I could do a while lot worse to that one than I could do to you."

Cas paused and let rage take him over. "You'd be a fool to even try. You aren't even allowed this close to me, you get caught and you're gone."

"I know," Alastair took another step close. Cas didn't have anywhere to go. Alastair was between him and the door. _He always corners me._ "If I go to prison for life, so be it." He bent down and rolled his pant leg up, revealing a tiny sheath about the size of his forearm strapped to his shin. He drew an army knife from it. _Not again. Why hasn't anyone noticed I'm gone?_

"I have to do this."

"No, you don't." Cas held his arms and pressed his back to the wall.

"I can't let it go until I'm satisfied. Please, Castiel, just let me do this. It'll be painless, I promise." He was five steps away.

_Knock knock knock_

"Cas?" Dean's voice rang on the other side of the door.

"Dean!" Cas yelled for him. He launched himself off the wall and tried to dodge Alastair but was caught by his arm. He held Cas in a chokehold with the end of his knife at his back.

The door wung open, the plunger's wooden handle snapping in two. Dean and Ash were standing in the hallway, Dean's leg coming to a rest on the ground. He had kicked the door open.

"Cas!" Dean stepped into the tiled room with Ash behind him. "Alastair?"

"Isn't this just a roll call." Alastair sighed. His arm tightened on Cas' neck and he tried to pry his arm away, scratching at his skin, but it was no use. Ash was holding a beer bottle and held it by the neck and smashing it against the wall.

"Alastair, step away from him and your charges may be _light_." Ash warned, and he stepped into the bathroom with the broken bottle extended out in front of him.

"Stop, just fucking stop," Alastair took the knife from Castiel's back and waved it above their heads. "I aint' going anywhere until I get. What. I. Want."

The rest happened so fast. Cas knew that at least one person wouldn't get out alive. He wiggled his neck so his chin was a few inches above his arm, and while Alastair was chatting, he brought his head forwards and threw it back, headbutting Alastair.

When the force of his skull hit his nose, they both cried out in pain, and Alastair's arm loosened from Cas' neck and he dropped the knife. Cas rushed to the door, desperate to escape, and Dean grabbed him. Ash took Cas from him, making sure there wasn't a mark on him, and Dean looked over at Alastair holding his nose on the floor. In two quick steps, he stood over him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, taking the knife next to him. He brought Alastair's face close to him and made him open his eyes.

"Trying to kill your own son, for something that you blame him for, you have no one to blame but yourself!" Dean hissed at him. Blood trickled from his nose and his lip. "You make me sick."

Alastair didn't say anything back.

"Dean, come on. I got my cruiser with me, we can drop this dude off at the station real quick." Ash said, Cas behind him and clutching his arm, his breathing steadied finally.

There was a few second of silence.

"You better listen to your friend." Alastair muttered to him, and Dean's lip twitched with annoyance. "Fifteen, twenty years tops. But I'll get back out eventually. And I'll be back. He can bet his life on it."

Dean's hand twitched. Cas gasped. Ash whispered something along the lines of "Oh God...", and Alastair's lips curved into a wicked smile, very slowly and weakly. Dean looked down, first at the line of blood from Alastair's nose, then his busted lip, then the front of his shirt that was bunched up in Dean's fist, and his army knife buried to the handle in Alastair's stomach.

"Congratulations," Alastair croaked. Blood started to pool in his mouth, and spat it out onto the tile floor (at least he had the courtesy to turn his head) and he looked back at Dean. "You're now a murderer."

Dean physically watched the light reflecting off his eyes stop shining back at him. His face went blank as his legs failed to support his weight anymore, and Dean let go of his shirt. He slid off the end of the knife and fell to his feet.

 


	16. All Was Well

 

Silence. Dean slowly turned around with the knife in his hand pointing down. He looked at Ash first, and the look on his face. It looked as if he almost pitied him, but he could tell Ash was thinking the same thing he was: _was that the right thing, or the wrong thing?_

Then he looked up at Cas, who looked shocked. Expected reaction from someone who'd just seen their father get stabbed, but this wasn't mortified-shocked, this was... just _shocked_. His eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something negative about it, but decided not to.

"Jesus," Dean breathed, and he dropped the knife. Cas slipped between Ash and the doorway into the bathroom, and he threw his arms around Dean's shoulders. Dean hugged him back after a moment, burying his nose in his hair, and then tears started to fall.

And they belonged to Dean.

Cas rubbed his back while Dean pulled him closer, tears spilling down his cheeks and onto Cas' shirt. "Oh my God," Dean got the words out barely, and he shut his eyes tight, sobbing into Cas' shoulder.

"Dean," Cas said to him. "Its okay."

"No," Dean gasped. "Its not okay, Cas, I killed him."

"He... He got what was coming to him, Dean, it was self-defense. Think of it like that. You were protecting someone you love. Its not your fault."

"It _is_ my fault."

"Its not." Cas repeated.

"Ash," Dean spoke up, making him look up from the ground. "Tell me now, about how much trouble am I gonna get in?"

Ash scoffed. "Trouble? I doubt it."

"What does that mean?"

"Alastair broke the rules of his restraining order twice, and threatened Cas beyond limits. This is considered self-defense, you're allowed to defend Cas if Alastair was within a hundred yards of him." Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "No one's gonna hold anything against you."

"That can't be possible." Dean said back. "I... I _killed_ him, I can't just get away with that. No one does."

"You didn't kill him out of cold blood, Dean." Cas whispered. "You did it to... To protect me. And to protect Gabriel."

"Then why do I feel so guilty?" Dean whispered back. Cas took a deep breath and took both his hands in his, rubbing his thumbs in circles on the back of Dean's hand.

"I don't know." Cas said quietly. "But I promise it'll be okay."

***

*8 days after*

 

"-and not to mention that he abused his children for two years, then shot his nineteen year old son two weeks after being released from his five-year sentence, and now, after ten more years, has violated his parole twice, threatening his son Castiel in the bathroom while armed with an army knife that I have here for evidence." Benny held up a clear bag with a now clean army knife. "He assaulted his son and the acts that happened in that bathroom were ones of self-defense, not murder."

The jury listened to him talk for about an hour now, and they were greatly impressed.

"Alrighty," Missouri, the judge hearing Dean's case, said and she straightened out the shoulder of her robe. "The jury will plead guilty or not guilty on the eleventh of November. You all have three days, if you decide earlier than that, then an immediate trial will be held. We will contact your lawyer who will later contact you about it. Dismissed." She hit the gavel on her podium and made her way out of the room.

Dean sat in silence at the table where he was instructed to go by Benny, his lawyer. Cas, Sam, Gabriel, Ash, and almost everyone that was at the disastrous Halloween party, sat in the rows of benches behind him. Ash came because he thought it to be wise that a witness be present, and he did prove his points. The looks on the jury's' face gave Dean great confidence that he wouldn't be given any punishments. Though Cas--with much confirmation from Benny--already told him that, considering the circumstances, it would be impossible for him to get punished too harshly. Too many facts stood in the way of it being his fault.

In three more days, Dean would slap the sharp suit back on and strut back into this same court room, waiting to hear whether or not he would be okay.

***

*10 days after*

 

Dean got a call early in the morning from Benny, saying that the jury had indeed made up their minds earlier, and that he was to be in the court room by noon.

"They look promising. You'll be fine, Dean." He told him over the phone. Dean smiled before thanking him and saying his goodbye, flipping his phone shut and falling back on the bed, Cas laying next to him with his head leaning on his arm, his elbow digging into his pillow.

"What'd he say?" He asked.

"That I have to bee in the court room in six hours." Dean responded.

"He has to call you at six in the morning," Cas yawned. "To tell you you have to be somewhere at noon?"

"Hey, its a piece of information that I needed to know." Dean fell back on his pillow, planning to get about four more hours of sleep before heading to the hall. He planted a kiss on Cas' forehead. Cas kissed him back and turned in the bed so his back was pressed against Dean's stomach, and he snuggled close to him while Dean wrapped his arms around him.

Cas had become bolder with each day going by. It was easy to realize why; Dean knew it was Alastair's death that made Cas act this way. Without the constant fear that Alastair could show up anywhere at any time, Cas finally accepted the feeling of being safe, because he knew that he finally was. He liked not being scared all the time. His nightmares stopped all together. Sometimes he'd have a bad dream, but he wouldn't lash out anymore.

No, that was passed to Dean now.

Cas had woken up several times to Dean sweating in his sleep, clenching his fists and tears spilling from his closed eyes. He would grunt small words like "It wasn't me" and he would scream Cas' name, asking him for help, all while not even being awake.

_"Get away from him..." Dean's growl was loud enough to wake Cas up next to him. He opened his eyes wide to see Dean with his cheeks cold and wet with tears and his chest sweating. He put two fingers on his the side of his neck, feeling his heart rate race, one beat after another, probably three beats per second. Cas scooted closer to him, letting his head rest in the middle of his chest, listening to his racing heartbeat. He held his hand lightly, squeezing it every time Dean started to say something._

" _Don't come any closer!" It sounded like Dean was actually talking to somebody, his voice was stern and loud enough to be said to another person. Cas squeezed his hand tighter._

_"Shhh..." Cas whispered, and his voice got lower. About twenty minutes later, Dean had stopped dreaming about whatever he was dreaming, and continued to sleep quietly next to Cas._

Dean's alarm went off once his beloved four hours of sleep were over, and he kissed Cas on the forehead to wake him up. In their two hours to get ready, they got dressed and drove to the hall for the final court day. Dean wasn't nervous (or was he?) and he knew that he wouldn't be punished. _I did the right thing. Alastair got what he deserved. He's not here to hurt Cas anymore. He's not here to hurt anyone anymore._

Dean sat down at the table in front of the railings that separated the audience from them. Missouri took her seat at the front of the room, and jury began pooling into their stands. Benny sat next to Dean, everyone in the room looking at the jury as they quickly took their seats.

"Alrighty then, Desperate Housewives is on in thirty minutes, so, jury, have you made your decision?" Missouri said. Cas couldn't help but crack a smile in the back of the room. Someone cleared their throat and stood up, a tall, beautiful black woman with curly hair that was pulled into a hair tie that rested on her shoulder. She held up a piece of paper and read from it.

"We find the defendant Dean Winchester, not guilty." She said. Before she even got the chance to sit down, Ash and Cas and the rest of the people there were already up and clapping. Missouri had a smile on her face as she stepped down from her podium. You could tell she was happy to have it done, after six days of this case (which wasn't very long but for a judge who has to go through court cases like that all the time it was six days too long) and she could finally finished. Dean shook Benny's hand and then hugged Sam over the railing.

"To be honest, Winchester, I always thought you weren't guilty." Missouri said to Dean while she gathered papers in a black folder and slipped her glasses on. "You're a good man to him. I hope you two last." She shook his hand and walked out of the room.

Dean smiled in her direction, and his hand wrapped around a small box in his jacket pocket. Inside the box was a golden ring. On that ring engraved the words _Castiel Winchester_.

"Me too." He whispered to himself.

***

*55 days after*

 

Dean's arm slung around Cas' shoulder while everyone else talked to their friends or family, glasses of champagne in their hands and a few antler headbands on their heads. Dean, for some god forsaken reason, was wearing the ugliest Christmas sweater he'd ever seen, but since his mother, Mary, made it her goal to bombard him with as many Christmas sweaters she could possible buy (on purpose, because she knew he hated them) until he started to wear them during the holidays.

He decided to give in this time because tonight was the night he was going to propose to Cas. He was extremely excited, and he thought that during their Christmas dinner would be a great time, since his whole family was there .

"You look so _handsome_ in that sweater." Cas teased. Dean scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah, tease me all you want." Dean took a sip from his glass, and his heart rate picked up every time his mind started to drift off to proposing. What if he said the wrong words, what if he messed it up? _What if Cas said no?_

　

_"Promise me when all of this Alastair crap is over for good, that you'll stay."_

_Dean looked back at him, getting lost in that sea of blue. "Why would I ever leave?"_

_"Shit's been crazy, you know? I wouldn't blame you."_

_"Cas, come on, don't say that." Dean tilted his chin up. "Tell you what... When Alastair is out of your life for good, will you promise to marry me?"_

_Marry him? "Will you promise to marry me?"_

_Absolutely. One promise I could never break._

_"Alright." Cas agreed. "But you'll have to propose to me. This doesn't count."_

　

He wouldn't say no. He promised not to say no. He said he'd marry Dean, and that gave him courage. He took in a deep breath. "Excuse me," He said loud enough to be heard over all the other voices in the room. Cas looked up at him, confusement splayed over his face. "I hope everyone is having a happy Christmas," smiles went around the room, and the nervousness started to float away in Dean's stomach, "but I would like to make it a little better."

Dean took his arm from around Cas' shoulder, and dug his hand into the front pocket of his sweater (thank you Mary) and he took out a velvet box that fit perfectly in his palm. He looked down at the ground before kneeling in front of Cas, the action causing immediate cheers to sound through the room. Castiel's eyes started glowing and he froze, a smile starting to creep on his lips and he tried to fight it.

"Cas," Dean took in a deep breath. "Will you marry me?"

A few second passed, and in those few seconds, the only thing heard was Mary's faint giggling. Cas finally nodded, covering his mouth as tears began to flow from his eyes. "Yes." He said, and Dean stood to hug him, but Cas grabbed his face and kissed him passionately. "I'll definitely marry you."

　

***

*97 days after*

　

"You don't think it was too soon, right? We've been together for a year now, but we've been through so much, I couldn't possible leave him, but what if we're not together anymore in ten years?" Dean loosened the tie choking him as anxiety crept up and formed a lump in his throat.

"Dean," Sam had his arms crossed. "You're gonna be okay; Cas loves you," he fixed Dean's tie, "And you love him," he buttoned his suit jacket half way, "So get out there," He finished by straightening the blue rose in his breast pocket, "And marry him."

Sam patted him on the shoulder and nodded reassuringly at his brother who just nodded back and walked through the white double doors. Behind them was the isle where he would walk down to the front of the room where reverend Garth was talking to his wife Bess. The ceremony would begin in exactly ten minutes, and Cas would soon join him.

"There he is!" Garth opened his arms and Dean hugged him. A few guests were murmuring to the ones seated next to them. Dean's side of the rows of seats had his parents, Jo, Adam, his grandparents, Benny, and some of his more distant friends.

Cas' side had Balthazar, Bobby, Jody, Ash, Naomi, and a few other officers he had gained as fortunate friends. Sam stood off to the side as Dean's best man, and Gabriel stood on the other side behind the platform where Cas was to stand. They each held their brothers' rings.

"You nervous?" Garth asked him. Dean smiled and nodded.

"A little." He replied.

"Garth patted his back. "Don't worry. Cas is too, I saw him a couple minutes ago." He whistled. "Boy, is he excited."

That kinda made Dean smile.

"I hope it goes well." Dean said quietly.

"Dean," Garth sighed. "Remember, the crazy weddings are always the ones remembered the most." He patted Dean's shoulder. "If nothing went wrong, you'd have nothing to talk about twenty years from now."

Dean smiled. "You think we'll be together twenty years from now?" He said.

Garth chuckled. "I think you guys'll be together forever. Just a little reverend sense, and I've got a good feeling about you two."

 _Always count on Garth to make you feel a million times better._ Dean thought. "Thank you, reverend. That means a lot to me."

Garth patted him on the back again. "No problem, buddy."

"Garth, its startin' soon!" Bess said from behind the arch where both the grooms were to stand.

"Well, come on Dean." Garth grabbed his arm as the murmuring stopped and music started playing. Dean stood in front of Sam, who gave him a thumbs up, and Garth stood next to him with his arms crossed. The music started playing with one of their musician friends at the organ in the corner of the room. Dean thought it was super cliché, but I guess cliché is what popped into Cas' head. Eh, it was a little romantic.

_Its super romantic, Dean, shut up, its your wedding._

The doors opened.

Cynthia, Naomi's daughter, was Castiel's first idea as the flower girl. She stood before everyone else, a large smile on her face, and she started walking down the isle, making the best of her performance, dropping handful after handful of blue rose petals at her feet. When she reached the front of the room, she bowed like a princess, and some people giggled. She went over to her mother and sat down.

Dean smiled and gave a small wave to her, until Cas showed up in the doorway. He was wearing a matching tux. His eyes fell on Dean, and he gasped silently, his lips parting. He looked next to him at Charlie, who was holding his arm, and she smiled at him with a reassuring nod.

"You got this." She said to him. He looked ahead of him again at the isle everyone was expecting him to walk on.

Charlie steadied him while he was walking, making sure he didn't go too slow or didn't rush over there. She kept a tight grasp on his arm, and when they made it to the front, she gave a thumbs up to them both, and rushed off to join Jo on Dean's side of the benches.

Garth smiled at the two men. "Right then, let's begin."

　

***

　

_I have no idea what Garth is talking about right now. Is this what every reverend reads to couples during weddings? This is really long. Okay, Dean focuss. Just act calm. You're getting married to an amazing person, you're getting married to Cas. He's standing in front of you, he's holding your hands, he looks gorgeous with his bright blue eyes, no longer clouded by fear._

"I understand you've written your own vows?"

_Oh crap I wasn't listening._

"Yeah," Dean said as he fumbled for the folded piece of paper that he had written his vows on. He stayed up all night to written his vows on. He stayed up all night to write them with help from Sam. He unfolded it and glanced at Garth before looking at Cas. He cleared his throat.

"Cas, I, uh," He paused. _I won't cry, I'm not a little bitch._ "I can't explain, in words, how much I love you, and how happy I am right now. I had no idea what I was getting myself in to when I went on that first date with you. But the more I knew you, the deeper I got pulled in. I'd gotten so far, I wasn't going to leave you anytime soon. I've been told by a couple people I'm rushing into this, that we should wait a while longer. But I didn't want to, I know that I wanted to marry you. I wanted to be there for everything, I wanted to help you with as much as I could, and making this move to spend the rest of my life with you, is the greatest thing I could do. I know that the future will be difficult, but I'm making this decision now to decide I want to help you, forever. Take it all as something cliché, I really don't care." Dean stopped to chuckle because of Bobby's friend Ellen sniffling and saying _"I ain't cryin' damnit!"_.

"Uh... I made a promise to you, remember?"

Cas nodded.

"When everything with Alastair was over, I promised, to marry you. Didn't expect it to happen within a week, did we?" Dean smiled and wet his dry lips. "I made a promise that I intended to keep. I'll always keep every promise. I'll tell you now, I didn't plan any of this. Getting married has always been on the list of things that I've wanted to do in my life. I bet if someone told me that I'd end up marrying you on the day we met, then I would start to think of all the things immediately of what would interest me the most when I got to know you more. You've definitely made an impact on my life, I can't deny that. I couldn't imagine my days without you, not anymore, you're too important to me." He smiled. "Man, I bet I sound super cliché right now. But... I love you, Castiel. Nothing's gonna ever change that."

Two people could be heard crying in the benches now, and Dean was looking at Cas' face, eager to kiss him then and there.

"That was lovely," Garth said. Dean nodded towards him and he put the paper away, taking Cas' hands again while Garth looked at him. "Castiel?"

Cas stared longingly at Dean for a few more moments before reaching into his back pocket and taking a white piece of paper. He unfolded it and stared down at the words. "Dean," He began. "When I first met you, I put all my faith and hope into the thought that you would help Gabriel. When we went on that first date, I put that hope into the thought that you wouldn't break my heart or think I was a freak. When I told you the truth, I expected you to run away or think of me as a burden that you wanted nothing to do with. To be honest, I was preparing myself for your rejection when you found out. I didn't expect to take such immediate action in helping me. I didn't expect you to stay. I was glad every time you said you were there for me, it let me know that I was safe. You've been there for so much more than I thought you would be there for, and now I'm marrying you, because I promised. I thought about it almost every day after that." Cas looked up at the ceiling, his eyes shining in the reflection of the light as tears started to pool in his eyes. "I also promised myself I wouldn't cry."

Ellen cried a little harder. Bobby was next to her dying of laughter and trying to keep it silent. Cas sniffled and looked back up at Dean. "I didn't think I'd marry anyone in my life, Dean. I thought I'd always be alone, because... I was a freak. But I still cherish the day we met, because you actually gave me a chance. You gave me multiple chances, looking over every fault I had, because you didn't care. You didn't care about the baggage, any of it, you loved me because you wanted to love me. And I want to thank you more than anything, for marrying me, because I know no one else would want to. You're the only person I could ever be happy with at this point." His voice cracked and he breathed in deeply. "I- I love you, Dean."

 _I love you too, Cas._ Dean thought. He smiled at him again, and took a glance at Garth. He was literally choking back tears.

"Castiel," _His voice definitely cracked_. "Do you take Dean as your lawfully wedded husband?"

Gabriel handed him the ring and he took it. "I do." Cas said.

"Dean," Garth caught his attention. "Do you... Also take Castiel as your lawfully wedded husband?" _Gee way to make the gay marriage subtle. Yes, Garth, everyone can see that there are two husbands._

Sam nudged him in the back and gave him the ring. "I do." Dean said without hesitation.

"Then by the power invested in me," Dean slipped the ring on Cas' finger, as Cas did with him. "I now pronounce you husband," He took a step back. "And husband."

Dean filled the now empty space between them, jumping forward and wrapping his arms around his waist and lifting him up while Cas grabbed his face and let out a laugh before kissing him.

People stood up and started clapping, and Ellen was wiping her cheeks at Bobby's great amusement. She hit him in the arm and started clapping with everyone else. Dean finally set him on the ground and looked at his face.

"Castiel Winchester," Cas whispered. No one but Dean would hear him. "I like that." Dean smiled down at him and caught his lips in a kiss again.


End file.
